Chapter Text
Mutually parasocial.
That was what Lois called it—the thing Clark had with Lex Luthor.
Clark didn’t call it anything.
Why should he care what Lex thought of Superman? Everyone had opinions on Superman; he could find a million of them online with a single search.
But none of them got to his core the way Lex’s did.
And Lex’s weren’t even the harshest ones. There were people online who literally thought Superman planned to take over the entire world.
But those stupid theories didn’t bother him half as much as it did to see Lex go on TV and give nuanced criticism.
Clark caught MetroWatch on TV one night. It was late, when the majority of the city was asleep.
Clark was awake, still in his cape and boots, tracking soot all over the floor as he slouched on the sofa, resting after a night of pulling civilians from a burning building.
The panel of hosts were discussing that very same fire Clark had just come from—and Superman’s part in it.
The other two hosts had nothing but good things to say about Superman, but Clark caught himself watching Lex, who was silent.
As one of the city’s most influential people, Lex could easily sway opinions. Clark told himself that’s why he cared, his heart pounding as he watched Lex’s face, his expression impassive as he listened to the other hosts.
“This could have been a disaster—what do you think, Lex?”
“I think it was a disaster.” Lex’s expression was neutral, calm even. “Superman had no business interfering.”
“What!?” Clark was anything but calm as he jumped up, forgetting about Lois asleep in the next room.
She was his best friend, fellow journalist, and roommate, and though she usually supported Superman’s antics, she drew the line at him waking her up with his nonsense.
He gritted his teeth, going quiet as he bumped up the volume on the TV. Lex went on, so completely calm that it made Clark’s blood boil.
And his heart race.
Clark watched, listening to Lex explain that Superman was getting in the way of first responders.
He rolled his eyes at that. He always made sure first responders could do their jobs, but they couldn’t walk through flames like he could.
Clark finally turned the TV off and went to wash off, Lex’s words still floating around his head.
He found himself watching that stupid show almost every night. It wasn’t always about Superman—they discussed many goings on in Metropolis.
Clark quickly realized what Lex’s deal was. He was almost always the contrarian. If the other hosts loved something, Lex was there to point out the flaws.
If the other hosts were critical of something, Lex would cut in with pros the others hadn’t mentioned.
Despite being the contrarian, Lex never came off as someone who was just a hater. Well, maybe a little, but it was also evident that the others greatly respected his opinion.
They obviously craved his approval.
Clark didn’t know why, but so did he.
He always sat up, leaning closer to the TV when Superman’s name came up.
Tonight, they discussed Superman and the Justice Gang having defeated a monster that was attacking downtown.
Clark had done his best to make sure the monster hadn’t crushed anybody—which wasn’t easy, especially with the Justice Gang flying around and provoking it with their own attacks.
They were going for the head, leaving Clark alone to watch its feet and pull people out of the monster’s path.
But his effort wasn’t unnoticed. The other hosts praised his actions, pointing out that no one had gotten hurt, despite the amount of property damage and the size of the monster.
Lex wasn’t so impressed.
Clark was on the edge of his seat, watching Lex’s impassive expression finally form into a slight sneer.
“If they’d just destroyed the creature to begin with, it wouldn’t have had the chance to do so much damage.” Lex said. “The Justice Gang had the right idea to go for the head—Superman was just goofing around.”
“I was not goofing around, I was doing important stuff!” Clark jumped up, freezing when Lois’ bedroom door opened behind him.
“Can’t you watch that stupid show without freaking out for once?” She came over, snatching the remote from him and muting it. “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with Lex Luthor.”
“Who’s obsessed?” He glanced away, his face red.
“You are!” She chuckled. “I know you only watch this show for Lex’s opinion on you—which I’m sorry to say, isn’t going to change any time soon.”
“I simply like to be informed on what the people are saying.” Clark took the remote back from her. “I just don’t get what his problem is.”
“He’s a certified hater.” Lois said. “He’s always complaining online about everything, but mostly, you.”
Clark wasn’t big on social media, but he found himself very intrigued by the idea that Lex was posting about him.
For some reason, he’d assumed Lex was too busy and important to give Clark the time of day outside of MetroWatch.
“It’s sort of funny—” She smirked, apparently giving up going to bed and curling up on the couch with a throw blanket. “You’re obsessed with him, and he’s obsessed with you. It’s like a mutually parasocial relationship.”
“I am not obsessed with Lex.” Clark said again, staring at the TV. “It’s just frustrating—I know I could change his mind about me if I had the chance.”
Lois only laughed. Clark rolled his eyes and went back to the TV, turning the volume back up.
He’d missed some of whatever they were saying, but he tuned back in as the other hosts were apparently going at Lex about his opinion that they should have killed the monster faster.
“Interesting for you to say that, Mr Animal Lover.” One of the other hosts was smirking at Lex. “Doesn’t LuthorCorp contribute thousands of dollars to conservation efforts every year?”
That was news to Clark. He knew LuthorCorp was always inventing things, but he’d never once considered what Lex did with his money other than flash it around.
“That’s different.” Lex said quickly. “This thing wasn’t really an animal—”
But the other hosts weren’t really listening. Carly, the host who was a former city councilwoman, was laughing, eyeing the camera.
“Maybe we should remind Lex who has his heart. Should we show our viewers Luli again?”
“No, we don’t need to see Luli—” Lex started, but a picture of a dog came on the screen.
The dog was small, fluffy, and white, wearing a collar and a little sweater. The other hosts chuckled softly, the audience awwing, and Clark realized this must be Lex’s dog.
“He’s so cute, he looks kinda like Krypto. Lois, isn’t that—”
Clark looked over his shoulder, going silent when he realized she’d fallen back asleep. Clark looked back at the TV, turning the volume slightly lower.
The other hosts were still chuckling at Lex’s expense, and Lex actually looked bashful, his face slightly pink.
“Luli doesn’t terrorize people—at least, not on a large scale.” Lex said after a moment. “That monster needed to be stopped.”
“But was killing it really the answer?” The other host, Daniel, was the city’s former Chief of Police. “We’ve never seen anything like this creature before. What if it’d been the last of its kind?”
“You really are pulling out all the stops. Don’t try to sway me with the endangered species thing. If it really is, then it’s very sad that it eradicated its own species by choosing to feed on our city.” Lex said, glancing away.
“Superman is the last of his kind, too.” He said.
Clark leaned closer to the TV, watching Lex’s face. Lex paused, a slight set in his jaw, his eyes still down.
It was as if he’d never really considered that before. Clark wondered what Lex was thinking, if he was thinking of the conservation efforts.
“Yes, well, if we ever see anything like this again, our best plan would be to stop the creature from entering the city in the first place.” Lex said. “Put it in a zoo or something, then maybe they can study it and find out where it comes from.”
Clark stared at the screen, chuckling softly at the irony. That was exactly what Clark had wanted to do in the first place—but no one had listened to him.
The conversation moved on, and Clark watched the rest of the show. Lex had his input, and while the other hosts occasionally tried to push Lex’s buttons, Clark didn’t see any other sign of that humanity he’d seen when they’d shown Luli.
Clark checked social media for the first time in weeks the next day at work. He found Lex’s page—he was at an intimidating one-point-three million followers.
Lois had called him a certified hater—and while Clark could easily see her point, with all the posts criticizing Superman, there was something deeper to him here.
He posted a lot about the conservation efforts. He was also apparently passionate about world hunger and homelessness.
He also posted Luli all the time. Clark scrolled through photos of the dog, laughing softly to himself at a video Lex posted of Luli rolling over.
Lois glanced over from her desk, eyeing him curiously. Clark quickly put his phone away and went back to work.
Still, his mind wandered. There was a glimpse of humanity under the hater-exterior, and Clark wished he’d have the chance to see it up close.
He had no idea that chance would come so soon.
Clark flew across the city that evening after work. Flying was the best way to destress, and as he breathed in the spring air, he felt his head clear.
As he swooped down to prevent traffic accidents, Lex was almost completely off his mind until he found himself drifting by LuthorCorp.
He hovered, floating by and observing the building from a safe distance.
He didn’t know why he was here or what he was looking for. He turned to speed off again when the explosion happened.
It was sudden, green flames and smoke bursting from the top floor, blowing out the windows. Glass rained down, and as Clark sped over, he saw someone falling.
Clark was faster, swooping in and catching Lex in one motion.
He held Lex, watching as the small rain of glass littered below on the luckily empty street.
Clark looked back at Lex. There was ash and soot on his clothes. He was staring at Clark with his eyes wide.
“Are you alright?” Clark asked, but Lex didn’t answer.
Clark looked back up the building, seeing the green flames roaring inside Lex’s laboratory.
Clark flew down. By now, a small crowd had formed on the street from the sound of the explosion.
There were shouts, whispers, and pointing. A few people laughed when Clark lowered Lex to the ground and gently placed him down before taking back off to the top floor.
Clark stepped inside the broken windows and approached the flames. He scanned the fire, x-raying past the fire and into the other rooms.
He could hear the fire alarm blaring and breathed in relief as that likely meant everyone else was heading to the ground floor.
Clark could see the flames lapping up towards the ceiling and knew he didn’t have much time. He’d never seen green fire like this, and there was no telling what else could explode in here if the flames touched it.
Clark inhaled and blew—cold winds whipped at the flames and immediately doused them, the lab now covered in a mix of soot and frost, the wet mess sticking to his boots as he walked around, making sure all the fire was gone.
The fire alarm was still blaring, and Clark looked up from stomping out some residual flames when he heard the elevator in the hallway.
He turned to see Lex at the doorway, having come up from the ground floor.
“You shouldn’t use the elevator during a fire.” Clark said, but Lex ignored him, coming inside and looking around at the mess that covered the floors.
“What did you do?” Lex’s teeth were clenched, his eyes on the floor.
“I didn’t want the fire to spread.” Clark explained, trying to bite back his offense at the accusatory tone.
“I’m going to have to clean all of this up.” He muttered, and Clark didn’t point out that he was going to have to clean up a mess whether Clark had helped him or not.
“You know, you should really be more careful—” Clark started, but Lex glared at him, snapping.
“Get out!”
Clark stepped back slightly, debating it for only a moment before deciding it was better just to do as he said.
Clark turned and flew out the shattered windows, the sound of the fire alarm growing quieter as he flew farther and farther.
There were still the slightest traces of soot on his boots as he climbed in the window that night, going straight for the living room and turning on the TV.
He was just in time, the intro to MetroWatch starting up as Lois came out of her room.
“Not that dumb show again—”
“Shh—” Clark shushed her louder than he meant to, Lois raising her eyebrows in surprise before she glanced at the TV.
“Welcome to MetroWatch—” Carly was overly cheery, as was Daniel. “Our top story tonight, Lex Luthor’s life was saved by Superman!”
“What?” Lois gasped, and Clark shushed her again, turning the volume up.
“All eyewitness accounts say there was an explosion at the laboratory in LuthorCorp, sending Lex flying out the window! Luckily, Superman was there to save him!”
Lex looked absolutely pissed, glaring at the camera, his face red.
“It wasn’t anything serious.” Lex’s voice held back his rage. “I simply miscalculated during one of my experiments—”
“You would have been nothing more than a spot on the ground, if Superman hadn’t come along, so I hear.” Daniel chuckled, and Lex glared at him.
“Superman then destroyed my lab even further by blowing his breath all over it—” Lex started, but the other hosts were laughing.
Beside him, Lois chuckled. Even Clark cracked a smile.
“Is that any way to talk about the person who saved your life?” Carly asked Lex.
“Yes, shouldn’t you be thanking him?” Daniel asked.
They were both grinning, the audience giggling as Lex seemed to seethe inside with rage.
Clark had come to know all of Lex’s angry faces from watching this show, and he could tell Lex was very annoyed.
But he could also tell Lex was a little embarrassed, the same way he got when they brought up Luli—which they did at least once a week.
“Did you thank Superman for saving you?” Carly asked Lex now, the live audience laughing softly.
“No.” Lex admitted, his face red as he closed his eyes.
“Well, now’s your chance.” Daniel said. “He could be watching right now!”
Carly and Daniel were still grinning, the audience laughing at the idea that Superman could be watching. They all acted like it was such a silly idea.
Clark was still grinning at the screen.
“Yes, give Superman your thanks.” Carly urged, and Lex seemed to finally snap, obviously wanting them to move on from this.
“Thank you, Superman.” Lex’s voice was deadpan, his eyes locking into the camera for just a moment.
“You’re welcome.” Clark said aloud, and Lois laughed, grabbing his arm.
The show went to commercial, and Clark turned the volume lower again as Lois went into the kitchen for a water.
“This must really be eating him up inside.” She said. “Him being in debt to you.”
“Nobody is in debt to me for saving them.” Clark said and she shrugged.
“Yeah, but obviously he won’t see it that way. He probably feels like now he owes you something just so you’re even. There’s no way he’d want this over his head.”
“Maybe.” Clark had to admit it made sense, just based on Lex’s personality.
“You could probably get something out of it.” She smirked, sipping her water. “He’s rich—you could get anything you want, and he’d do it, just to be even.”
“Yeah, right.” Clark rolled his eyes. “I don’t do this for favors.”
“You’d be doing him a favor, though. You’d be clearing him of his debt to Superman.”
Clark didn’t get a chance to tell her how completely against his character that was, as she strolled back to bed.
Clark stayed awake, watching the rest of the show. They came back and went right to discussing more news in Metropolis.
He was only half listening, his mind now daring to entertain her idea.
It was true, he never did this to make people owe him—but it was also true that Lex probably hated the idea that Clark had saved him, and would do anything to erase it.
For the first time, he pictured what he could get out of it.
Lex was very rich—but Clark didn’t want for anything material that he could just buy at the store.
Clark wasn’t swimming in dough either, but he knew how to budget and save if he really wanted something.
Lex had connections Clark didn’t have—he had his mind.
LuthorCorp was always inventing new technology. Clark didn’t need much more than what he already had at the Fortress, but the idea that came to him when he finally hopped in the shower seemed to hit him like a truck.
He knew what he wanted—what he would hypothetically ask for if he ever hypothetically could ask for something.
That’s all it was, a hypothetical. The same way people talked about what superpowers they wished they’d had or what they’d do with lottery winnings.
He thought about this hypothetical in bed, lying awake and staring at the ceiling until sleep finally came.
It was on his mind the next day at work—the logistics of asking for it, then wondering if it was even possible to invent.
No, it was possible.
He had done enough late-night phone scrolling to know it was technically possible.
He just needed someone with the resources and mind. Someone like Lex.
But no, Superman didn’t demand favors as payment.
Especially not this.
He told himself that as he flew by LuthorCorp every day for a week, eyeing the slow repairs to the top floor, until the windows were finally back and Lex was likely resuming his work.
Clark floated by one day, not in any hurry anywhere, his gaze lingering on the building and the silhouette inside.
His presence was apparently more noticeable than he realized. Lex stood at the window, his hands behind his back as he stared out, locking eyes with Clark from the long distance away.
Clark froze. He couldn’t read Lex’s expression; the distance and the glare of the window obscuring his face, but he could guess what Lex was clearly saying.
Go away, stop stalking me, you weirdo.
Clark glanced away, realizing how strange he was now for hanging around.
He was just about to fly off, glancing back just in time to see Lex gesturing to him.
Lex was pointing upwards. Clark thought for a moment that Lex was telling him to scram, but he realized Lex was actually pointing at the roof.
He turned and walked back towards the other end of the room, towards the hallway. Clark slowly flew over the building and landed softly on the roof.
A moment later, the stairwell door opened and Lex stepped out.
“Why are you watching me?” Lex demanded, and Clark held back a satisfied smile at the thought that he had accurately guessed what Lex had been thinking.
“I was just making sure you weren’t going to blow yourself up again.” Clark said, Lex scowling in response.
“I do not need your help.” Lex said. “Stop flying around here, or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”
“You don’t own the air.” Clark couldn’t resist pushing his buttons, grinning when Lex glared at him, the same angry way he glared at his cohosts—no, angrier than that.
At least he liked his cohosts.
“You—” Lex growled, and Clark laughed.
It was funny, in a way. Lois always said Clark had the most transparent heart, that he wore his emotions on his sleeve so plainly.
Clark could say the same thing about Lex now. Just from watching that show, he could see that while Lex likely wanted to think of himself as pragmatic and guarded, he was just as transparent as Clark, if someone knew how to read him.
“You think this is funny?” Lex asked, managing to rein in his emotions just slightly.
“Yeah, you’re funny.”
Clark knew there was a certain type of personable that Superman should be, and he was toeing that line a little too much on one side.
Despite what Lex may think, Superman wasn’t supposed to be annoying.
He wasn’t supposed to tease humans, but he couldn’t resist with Lex for some reason.
He expected Lex to rage in response, snap, and turn red the way he did on TV when the other hosts wouldn’t stop praising Superman, but Lex didn’t.
He just stared at Clark, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back in a slight scowl, as if Clark was the strangest thing he’d ever seen.
Lex was probably going to post about this tomorrow, Clark thought to himself.
Clark just stood there, his toes floating inches above the rooftop, the gentle breeze blowing his cape to the side.
“What do you really want?” Lex asked finally. “A thank you?”
“I don’t do this to get things in return.” Clark said, figuring it already ate Lex up enough inside to thank him on live TV.
“Then what?”
Clark should say nothing. He should leave now and stop hovering around outside like a weirdo.
And he should stop watching that show.
And he should stop letting Lex in his head.
But he couldn’t. And he didn’t.
“Well, what can you offer me?”
The words left him before he even realized it. Lex just stared at him, his brows raised as if he was just as surprised to hear that as Clark was.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s probably really annoying for you, that I saved your life.” Clark said. “You probably just wanna call it even so you don’t feel like you owe me anything.”
“You just said you don’t do this to get things.”
“I don’t, but I’m offering to take something for your sake.” Clark said. “It must be really annoying, being in debt to someone you hate—”
“I don’t hate you.” Lex said, almost softly.
They stared at each other for a moment, both slightly shocked. Clark realized, thinking back, that he’d never actually seen or heard the word hate come from Lex himself.
Yes, he was very critical of Superman, but he’d never actually said hate.
“You don’t?”
“No, I just think you’re extremely annoying.” Lex said, and Clark was tempted to laugh again. “But you are right about one thing—I don’t want to be in debt to you. So, name your price.”
Clark stared down at the rooftop. He should just fly away now, pretend this conversation never happened.
But it was like his voice had a mind of its own.
“Well, you’re really good at inventing things, right?”
“The best, why?” Lex’s eyes narrowed. “You want me to invent something for you?”
“Yes.”
“Why would I give you the means to be even more annoying than you already are?” Lex asked, but his voice wasn’t angry. It was almost as if he was already resigning himself to the fate.
“Because I’m asking nicely?”
“You haven’t even told me what it is you want yet.” Lex said. “How do you know I can even invent it?”
Clark should fly away now. He should fly away and pretend this never happened, but again, his own voice possessed him.
He told Lex exactly what it was, and how it should work, the words flying from his lips the same way he should have flown away in the first place.
He got ready for Lex to pull that disgusted face again, but he didn’t.
Instead, Lex looked intrigued. He was quiet, staring down with his brows furrowed, his eyes flickering back and forth as if he was already planning it in his mind.
“Is that even possible?” Clark asked quietly, his face red.
“Yes, that’s easy.” Lex said, shrugging. “I just don’t understand why you need something like that.”
“I—”
“I’m not asking.” Lex waved a hand, dismissing him. “That part doesn’t really concern me—what my clients do with their commissions, as long as it’s not anything illegal that’s going to come back to me.”
“No, there’s no laws against this.”
“Understood.” Lex glanced up, locking eyes with him. “You’ll get what you want, but it’ll take some time.”
“Y-Yeah, of course—”
“Give me two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Clark had expected him to say a month or more.
“Do you want this done right, or what?” Lex snapped, Clark just nodded. “Alright, then, come back in two weeks.”
“Got it.”
Clark watched him walk back towards the stairwell door, before turning back and looking at Clark over his shoulder.
“And not a minute before.” Lex said firmly. “I don’t want to see you floating around here anymore. You’re distracting me.”
“Okay, sorry.”
Clark watched as Lex went back inside, waiting until the door shut before taking off.
He had no direction in mind, flying faster and faster as his heart pounded and his face flushed.
No way. No freaking way he just did that. He just asked for that and Lex agreed like it was normal.
Clark couldn’t stop thinking about it, replaying it in his mind as the days went on.
Lex said what he was going to do with it didn’t concern him, so no harm, right?
Right. That’s what Clark told himself.
There were no laws against it. In fact, he was doing Lex a favor by letting him erase his debt.
Everybody would leave happy.
No harm done.
But Clark didn’t watch MetroWatch for those two weeks, unsure if he would be able to handle it if Lex said anything about what he was doing for Superman.
Only once did he check social media, but Lex hadn’t posted anything about Superman.
The days seemed to stretch on, Clark flying wide circles around LuthorCorp when he had to go that way, dying of curiosity but not letting himself even consider a glance inside.
The two weeks ended on that Friday. Clark was nervous all day, his hands shaking slightly and his mind drifting at work.
Lois gave him a curious look from her desk once more, but Clark just stared ahead.
He changed and took off into the sky after work. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but reminded himself that Lex had no idea what Superman did all day.
For all he knew, he was fashionably late as he flew to LuthorCorp and landed softly on the roof.
His heart pounded as he heard footsteps on the stairwell. The door opened, and Lex stepped out.
“It’s ready.” Lex said, his tone seemed to bite back slight enthusiasm. “Follow me.”
It was the first time Clark had ever been inside LuthorCorp, aside from the fire. He had to crouch lower as he followed Lex down the metal steps and through the door to the hallway.
They didn’t run into anyone else as they crossed the hall into Lex’s lab. That was empty too, and Clark was getting a good first look at the place without any flames or window glare in the way.
There were so many curious things, half-completed experiments on desks, mysterious slides under microscopes, and something unknown floating in a tank of green liquid.
But Lex didn’t stop for Clark to look around. He just kept walking, and Clark followed.
There was a door at the other end of the lab. Lex entered a passcode on the lock and opened it.
The lights were off inside, and Clark’s heart was already racing as they stepped inside.
Lex turned on the lights, and Clark felt his face flush at the sight of it.
“I give you—the anti-solarium.” Lex’s voice was proud.
It was slightly bigger than a car, a blacked-out metal pod, the edges angular. It was almost sinister-looking.
No doubt, Lex’s work.
Clark should say something, he realized now that Lex was watching his face, waiting for some sort of reaction. Could he see how hard Clark was blushing?
“Cool.”
It was all Clark could manage, his throat dry. But that seemed to be enough for Lex. He walked up to the edge of the pod, still smiling proudly.
“Using technology of my own creation, this machine should be able to not only eradicate all traces of solar power from the air inside, but it should be able to draw the sunlight out of your very cells—that’s what you wanted, right?”
Clark could only nod, feeling slightly lightheaded.
He slowly walked around the machine, taking in the matte metal outside. He came around to the side Lex was on, seeing the controls now.
There was a panel of buttons and knobs and a comically large lever that looked like something off a torture device—which, he supposed, this was.
“There are ten levels—” Lex began to explain, his eyes shining as if showing off his invention was enough to make him forget about the disdain of who he was talking to. “Each with a higher intensity. We should start on level one just to make sure—”
“Woah, hold on—” Clark glanced at him. “We?”
“You didn’t think I was going to let you use my invention on your own, did you?” Lex looked at him, the disdain in his eyes already back. “You have no idea how it works.”
“I thought you were just going to show me how to use it and then I get out of your hair—I mean—” Clark froze at the poor word choice and Lex just blinked in annoyance, as if he’d heard that one a million times.
“You cannot take my machine out of the laboratory.” Lex said firmly. “And you cannot use it on your own—not right now, at least.”
“Why not?”
Lex just stared at him, and Clark tried not to turn even redder, staring down at the button panels on the side of the machine.
“Because—” Lex said after a moment, pausing to find the words. “Am I misunderstanding, or is this not dangerous for you? If your life force comes from sunlight, then depriving you of sunlight could kill you, could it not?”
Clark supposed it could. Maybe. He didn’t know, but he supposed he didn’t want to find out what could go wrong.
He just nodded.
“Then I should stay and observe.” Lex said. “Besides, I have no idea if it actually works the way we’re intending. I’ve tested it on myself, but obviously that has no real effect.”
Clark couldn’t help but note that Lex said we—implying they both had the same desired effect. They didn’t.
“What was it like? When you were in there?” Clark asked, and Lex just shrugged.
“Dark.”
Clark’s heart was racing again.
“Now—this is technically a prototype, so there is still plenty of room for adjustments if we need.” Lex said, and Clark tried to think nothing of Lex saying we again. “So, I’m going to be asking you some questions while you’re in there. I’ll also need to ask you some questions afterwards.”
Clark nodded, silent once more.
Lex pushed one of the buttons, and the lid of the machine opened up. Inside was pitch black, nothing but a flat bed and a small row of buttons.
There was a blacked-out panel of glass just above the buttons, and Clark wondered what the point was of a window if he couldn’t see out or Lex couldn’t see in.
“Well, get in—” Lex said, gesturing. But Clark just stood there. “What, are you afraid or something?”
“Do you want me to be afraid?”
Clark looked into his eyes, and Lex stared back at him for a split second, his face red before he scoffed.
“Just get in the damn machine.” He snapped, and Clark obeyed.
Clark sat down on the bed, and Lex leaned over, pointing at the panel of buttons.
“This lets you change all the settings, but you won’t be able to change or override anything I’ve done on the outside once the machine is already on. That’s what this is for—” He pointed to a red button. “That’s the emergency stop, in case you feel like you’re going to die or something.”
Clark nodded.
“What if—I can’t push the button?” He asked, slightly uneasy.
“I think I’ll be able to hear you from outside.” Lex said. “You should be able to tell me if I should turn it off.”
“Still, we should come up with some kinda code word or something.”
“If you insist.” Lex thought for only a second. “Just say red—that means danger.”
Clark nodded. His heart began pounding as he watched Lex walk back to the door of the room, pulling it closed the rest of the way before turning off the lights.
Light still came in from under the door, and there was still a faint glow from the control panel on the outside, but Clark knew soon he would be in complete darkness.
Lex stood by the machine, watching him curiously. Clark wondered if he could tell how red Clark’s face was in the dark.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” Lex said after a moment, his voice slightly soft.
“I know.” Clark said.
“Alright, just making sure.” Lex glanced down at the controls. “I would never hear the end of it from Carly and Daniel if I hurt Superman.”
Clark managed a nervous smile before lying down fully on the bed. Lex pushed the button and the lid slowly closed on him with a soft woosh, plunging him in darkness.
It was so dark, Clark’s superior night vision barely made out the shapes of the buttons to his right.
He experimentally held his hand in front of his face; he could still see it, but just barely.
His heart was still beating.
“Can you hear me?” Lex’s voice sounded very muffled, as if rooms away. He seemed to be speaking against the tiny window, Clark realizing that was likely the spot with the least insulation.
“Yeah, I can hear you.” Clark replied, raising his voice and hearing it echo around inside.
“I’m going to start you on level one—a cycle is approximately two minutes. Does that sound alright?”
Clark nodded, and then remembered Lex couldn’t see him.
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
Clark heard the faintest sounds of beeping, the machine starting to come to life. Clark’s heart raced as it hummed, vibrating softly like a washing machine.
There was a loud thunk and clank—Clark imagining Lex throwing the lever like a mad scientist in a movie.
The faintest light vanished in front of his eyes. Clark gasped, suddenly plunged into absolute zero.
Lex was speaking, his voice drowned out by the whirring of the machine, and the sound of Clark’s own blood pounding in his ears.
He could feel it—like a microscopic bead of sunlight was being pulled from every cell in his body, and vanishing in the darkness.
He flexed his hands, opening and closing his fists and feeling the slightest bit weaker.
Or maybe that was his own imagination.
Either way, it was working.
He wasn’t sure how much time was passing, his beating heart going faster than the seconds.
He breathed in and out, feeling the temperature of his breath go from icy cold to hot in only seconds.
That almost did him in.
All too soon, it was over.
The machine went quiet, the vibration stopping. There was another thunk—Lex throwing the lever back the other way.
Clark laid there, breathing in and out.
Lex’s voice again, almost impatient, demanding.
“Superman? I said are you okay!?”
“Y-Yes—” Clark’s throat was dry, his voice strained. “I’m okay.”
If Lex had asked him anything while the machine was on, Clark hadn’t heard him. He could feel his powers dulled just enough to make him uneasy. The woosh of the door opening nearly made him jump.
The room was still dark, but Clark blinked, his eyes adjusting to the slight light from under the door.
“Well, how was it?” Lex asked from nearby. “Did it work? Do you feel stronger?”
“Huh?” He could barely think, his heart still racing.
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” Lex asked. “Getting stronger by strengthening your resistance to sun deprivation?”
Clark was barely understanding what Lex was saying, nodding and hoping Lex could see him in the dim light.
“Good—maybe once we get to level ten, you’ll be strong enough to go back into space and get lost.”
Lex’s voice actually had a teasing tone, but Clark didn’t have time to revel in it.
He jumped up, his slightly weakened muscles protesting in a way that made him unsteady on his feet. He stumbled slightly, grabbing the side of the machine to keep from falling over.
“I should go—” Clark managed to say, his voice shaking.
“Fine. I have work to get back to anyway.”
Clark was hardly listening, still stumbling slightly as he went for the door. He opened the door and stepped back into the lab.
The sun had set outside, but moonlight was just as enriching, seeping into his cells from the floor-length windows.
He went for the stairwell door, his heart racing as he took the stairs two at a time and threw the door open, taking off into the sky.
His heart was still racing, he barely made it home.
It was Friday evening, he knew Lois wouldn’t be home.
He didn’t bother to be quiet, stumbling in through his window and barely keeping from crashing into anything as he struggled to pull his costume off.
He was breathing heavily, gasping as he finally pulled his costume down to his knees and reached for his aching cock.
Clark groaned, his eyes wide and his face flushed, as it only took two seconds of thinking back on the feeling of being in the machine to do him in.
He moaned, his eyes falling shut as he came hard, stars behind his eyes.
He fell back onto the bed, his heartbeat finally slowing.
The reality of what he’d done began to set in.
Clark opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, still half-dressed, his own seed still all over his hand and cock.
“I’m a horribly sick person.” He whispered into the darkness.
It was one thing to do that in the privacy of his own Fortress—that was the original plan.
He should have bailed when Lex insisted on staying, but his stupid mind was too locked on to finally getting what he’d wanted for so long.
And the worst part was that it was totally worth it.
It was amazing. It was perfect. It was everything he’d fantasized about.
And that was only level one.
But, no—he couldn’t go back. He couldn’t force Lex to sit there while he got his rocks off to sun deprivation.
No, there was nothing wrong with having a kink. It was no different than a human who liked to be choked, but it was wrong to include another person without their consent, even if they didn’t understand what was going on.
Clark laid there a bit longer, his face still red as he listened carefully, making sure the apartment really was empty before he reached for tissues to clean himself up and headed to the shower.
He was never going to do it again. He and Lex were even, Lex didn’t owe him anything.
It didn’t matter how good it felt, or how curious he was about the other levels.
It was out of his system, and he was never doing it again.
As far as Lex knew, it was just some kind of Kryptonian training thing, and he would never have to know any different.
It was done.
Clark stayed in the shower until the hot water ran cold. As it got later, he didn’t let himself even consider watching MetroWatch.
He put his costume back on and went out to fly for a while to clear his head.
It was wrong, but he was glad he did it just once.
That memory would have to last him the rest of his life, because he wasn’t doing it again.
He wasn’t.
-
Lex wasn’t stupid.
He knew it was a fetish thing.
Well, not at first. At first, when Superman described the thing he wanted, Lex assumed it was for some kind of training to get stronger.
He did not want to be responsible for Superman getting stronger, but the only thing worse than that would be owing Superman a favor for the rest of his life.
He took the lesser of two evils.
He had to admit, once he got to work on the project, the fact that it was for Superman easily slipped out of his mind.
It was sort of fun, inventing something new that he never would have without this very specific request.
He’d been eager to finally see it in action, waiting on very slightly bated breath for Superman to fly by today.
He noticed that Superman seemed uncharacteristically quiet, but only saw that as a blessing.
Lex still had completely innocent thoughts, that was, until he turned the machine on.
He couldn’t see anything through the blacked-out glass, but the insulation was just thin enough that he could hear the way Superman was breathing.
Did it hurt? Lex didn’t even consider the other option until he turned it off.
Superman’s breathing was so clear, so ragged and heavy that it was almost erotic.
It was only then, when the door opened, that Lex realized what the fuck was going on here.
He wasn’t hurting Superman the way he’d secretly been worried about. Well, he was, but it wasn’t to train him to be stronger.
It was to get him off, choke him with lack of sun like hands around his throat.
The reality of it weighed on him like a ton of bricks as Superman stumbled out the door, the sound of his boots on the metal stairwell until the door to the roof opened and he was gone.
Lex stood frozen for a moment, only a moment, before his body seemed to act on instinct.
He closed the door again, back in darkness with just him and the machine.
He was breathing heavy, his hands shaking as he undid his pants and pushed them down just enough to free his cock.
The sound of Superman’s breathing still rattled in his brain as he took himself in hand and moaned, spilling his seed over his fist and slumping back against the machine, his knees weak.
He was not attracted to Superman. He didn’t think Superman was attracted to him, either.
But still, he was only human, and being inches from all of that was enough to do anyone in.
He began to laugh darkly as he wiped his hand on his pants and felt for the doorknob to go clean himself up.
Superman—everyone’s golden boy, perfect hero, he was just as degenerate as a human.
He did all of that without even a care that Lex was right there.
But Lex wasn’t evil. He wasn’t going to go blasting it all on TV that night—no, that was fucked up.
But he was going to torture Superman just a little.
After all, it was what he wanted. It was specifically what he asked for.
Lex smirked to himself.
He wondered how Superman would handle level two.