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“Metahuman terrorist Leslie Willis known as Livewire has released parolee and CEO Lex Luthor’s internet data to the public.” The polished news anchor announced admirably keeping a straight face. “This act was likely retribution for Luthor’s recent-“
The TV hanging above The Daily Planet bullpen office was broadcasting the news to all present employees. Including, Clark Kent who’d been listening since ‘metahuman terrorist’. The office had quietly exploded at the words ‘internet data’, there was a sharp intake in murmurs and keyboard tapping as they searched the claim.
He couldn’t say he wasn’t curious. Surely, Lex would have spent his brief stint at Belle Reave scheming something and it could probably be deduced from his search history. But actively combing through a long archive of public information without knowing what he was looking for would be timely. And it’d be unnecessarily voyeuristic. If anything really concerning was in there Clark would hear about it and maybe then he’d research further.
His ears picked up a sinking fishing boat off the coast of the Caribbean, so Clark Kent left to follow up a lead so Superman could rescue the fishermen. Then there was an apartment building fire in Shanghai. Then Clark actually did follow up the lead for his story. Then there was a cybernetic resurrected Aztec god in Mexico.
So he’d ended up out of the office for most of the day, only returning to grab his things. When Clark got home he got started on dinner, spaghetti bolognese and frozen garlic bread. He chose it because it was easy, Clark liked to think he was becoming a better cook now. Cooking for two was much funner than just feeding himself.
Clark smiled as he heard the doorknob turn. “Lois! I got fresh parsley so we can put it on top. Authentic Italian style.”
When he didn’t hear a quip back, Clark spun around. Lois was standing behind him, she was wringing her hands, face scrunched up in consternation. She opened her mouth, faltered and sighed.
Immediately he rushed over, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Lois, what’s wrong?”
“You haven’t heard about what got leaked have you?”
“It’s bad then? Worse than Jaharphor?” There wasn’t a lot that rattled Lois.
She shook her head but she still seemed conflicted. “No. I mean there was something about buying swamp land and building something but- technically it’s nothing, conjecture, really. Just…”
Lois looked up at him concerned, tucking a loose curl behind his ear. “It’ll be uncomfortable for you to hear.”
Uncomfortable. The unexpected word choice made Clark chuckle. “I’m a pretty tough cookie, Lois. Why don’t you tell me about it over some spaghetti, okay?”
She agreed but the worried looks she kept sending his way as he served dinner showed she was unconvinced.
“Wait, what?” Clark choked around his mouthful of spaghetti.
From the other seat of the couch, Lois threw a hand up with the same aghast shock he felt. “Yeah. I mean it is largely guesswork based around the time of the searches and how long the pages were left open-“
“But people think Luthor was-“ There was no way he could actually say the words or do the gesture. “To me?”
Her lips tightened as she nodded. Lois reached out, touching his hand. “Thoughts?” She asked softly.
He’d made that quip about Luthor’s obsession with him being creepy (which it was) but Clark hadn’t actually thought he was attracted to him. It didn’t make any sense. How could someone who despised him, to the point of dehumanisation, be attracted to him? The idea of it made him feel sick.
“No. I don’t think- show me the logs people are talking about.”
There were repeated Google image results for ‘superman brutal attacks’ or ‘superman wounded’ at least a couple times a week between the hours of 3 to 5am. Multiple searches into ‘superman harem accounts’. One visit to a subreddit of people who claimed to sleep with Superman. The viewing of an academic paper theorising what sex with Superman would be like, .i.e. if his sperm was safe to come into contact with. (Which- Clark respected scientific endeavours but without asking his permission? Come on). This became less concerning with the following examination of Metropolis sex clinic patient data with a focus on irregularities. Clearly, Lex was just trying to detect evidence of a long term relationship to use against him. And as long as he continued not knowing about Lois things were fine.
“Okay.” Clark closed the laptop and passed it back to her. “I know it looks bad but I don’t think this is…I think this is just… plotting.”
She tilted her head at him without speaking.
“Really! He’s an insomniac and he’s researching all the avenues he can to hurt me.” Clark knew how insane it was to be relieved to say those words.
“But he knows what you look like, why would he need to google pictures of you regularly at 3am?” Lois argued.
“I don’t know, to throw darts at? To motivate himself? Who knows what that guy’s thinking.” He got up, putting his dishes in the sink.
He heard her get up, trailing behind him. “Maybe. What if it is the first thing though? What then?”
Clark started turning the tap. The pipes creaked as it filled the sink with hot water. “Nothing! Nothing would change.”
“Even knowing that he might be in love with you?”
The tap broke off in his hand with a gritty snap.
Water kept running from the faucet at an even pace. He pinched the spindle, sticking out of the new abscess where the tap had been, between two fingers and turned it until the water stopped running.
Clark left the sink making very direct eye contact with Lois. If his display with the sink had bothered her, she didn’t show it. Her eyes were trained on his with the same worry for him she’d shown before.
“He is not in love with me.” Clark said the words slowly emphasising them. “To love someone, you need to respect them, care about their needs, be happy around them. Even if there is… something, it’s not love.”
Lois softened completely, she stepped closer throwing her hands behind his neck. She didn’t say she wrong or take back what she said but Lois never did. “I love you.” She murmured.
“I know.” He said in his best Han Solo. It earned him a light slap to the side of his head. “I love you too.” He leaned down and kissed her.
Clark had really been hoping no one would say anything on it. Of course, the second he sat down at his desk Steve Lombard came by with a mug of coffee in hand and perched himself beside him. “Crazy, Luthor’s gay now huh?” He addressed the group.
“C’mon man.” Clark chided him tiredly.
“Little distasteful, Steve.” Lois backed him up.
Cat Grant seemed to overhear the conversation and excitedly pulled her chair next to Lois’s. “You guys talking about Luthor?”
“He’s gay now.” Steve informed her confidently. Clark rested his head in his hands, this had to be its own circle of hell.
Jimmy raised a hand uncertainly. “Technically, he’d be bi right?”
He scoffed, taking a sip of his coffee then waving a finger around his moustache and chin. “Yeah, that’s called having a beard my friend.”
Lois braced her arms on her knees looking at him unimpressed. “Is it really ethical for us to be speculating on his sexuality right now?”
“Woah!” Steve raised a hand defensively, his eyebrows creased deeply as he frowned. “I’m not homophobic, I have a gay brother. And he could easily throw a 30 yarder, nearly made the Meteorites.”
“So it’s fine he’s gay as long as he’s good at football?” She asked dryily.
“No, Lois.” He rolled his eyes disdainfully. “It’s important because playing football tells you a lot about a person.” He gave Clark a condescending slap on the back.
Clark put on an act of flinching and rolling his chair an inch away from him (Lois subtly shook her head at the performance.) “My parents were worried about concussions, you know that.”
Steve ‘pshhed’ disapprovingly before going quiet. He put a hand on his shoulder suddenly looking more sincere than Clark had ever seen him. “Jared’s actually single. He’s a total teddy bear, loves Warhammer and Star Wars.”
“Oh, no I’m not-“
Lois barely disguised her snorting laugh as a cough.
“No? Damn, my gaydars normally great.” He sighed in disappointment but quickly barreled on. “Anyway, I don’t have a problem with gay people but if the guy who nearly destroyed the city because he hates Superman turns out to actually be gay for Superman? That’s his fault for making it public interest.”
The statement made Clark feel itchy. He could understand Steve’s perspective, if it was true then it could be seen as an aspect of his motivation. The uncharitable response was a result of Luthor’s own cruel, recklessly selfish actions. Still… Luthor has always pushed at Clark’s limits. The hate he felt rubbed up against pity.
There was no amount of money you could pay him to live like Luthor, his life seemed enormously hollow of anything that actually mattered. Watching his eyes well up with tears, even knowing he deserved it hadn’t felt good. Whether or not it was true Luthor was attracted to him, Clark wasn’t enjoying seeing his arch enemy’s private life torn apart.
“I pitched this article to Perry,” Cat Grant’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. She preempted her idea with jazz hands. “‘Top 13 Evil Queers In Positions Of Power.’ He's not mentioned directly but it’s implied.”
“Do we even know he’s not straight?” He found himself saying. “And if he’s not, is it right for us as the press to write articles about him being outed?”
He was trying not to look at Lois but he heard her sigh and knew she knew what he’d been thinking. Cat gave a short shrug without breaking her sunny smile. “I mean we didn’t ‘out’ him, Livewire did and she’s gay. All we’re doing is making the best with the information available to us, whether he’s gay or straight.”
Steve hunched down conspiratorially. “Real talk, you guys ever look at a picture at 3am and not be jerking to it?”
Clark groaned. “Oh, for goodness-“
To his shock everyone else seemed to be taking the question seriously. Cat pursed her lips and shook her head. Jimmy mumbled something in the negative. Lois laughed proudly. “I definitely have.”
Steve was not convinced. “But the majority of times you’ve looked at a picture at 3am, what have you been doing?”
Her silence was a very clear answer. (One Clark was curious about and did want to follow up later). Steve clapped his hands together, hopping off Clark’s desk. “Well, that’s settled. Looks like Luthor was jerking.”
“No, c’mon. That’s circumstantial evidence. We’re investigative journalists, we can't call it from that.” He argued again.
“Hate to say it but Clark’s right,” Lois sighed, spinning in her chair to face her laptop. “May as well leave it there since there’s no way to be sure.”
God, he loved that woman. He could see Steve and Cat losing their steam- “Actually, I think I have a tie breaker.”
All attention was turned to Jimmy who held his phone flat in his hand, dialling the caller ID ‘Evie (MT)’. Clark experienced a rush of dread. It barely got past the first ring before Luthor’s ex-girlfriend picked up. “Hey JimJim, did you change your mind about going to the alps with me? I’m in the hot springs right now, no swimsuit required.”
Lois and Steve, in a rare instance of being on the same page, shared baffled looks. Clark was familiar by now with the effect Jimmy had on women, personally he thought it was due to his quiet confidence and sincerity. He had heard a different theory from Cat which was just as likely but more crass.
“Uh, no.” The younger journalist scratched the side of his face nervously. “Just wanted to ask you something. You’re on speaker with some people from my work, by the way.”
“Jimmy!~” She squealed, more delighted than scandalised. “Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed. Hi guys! It’s so cool to meet you, Jimmy talks about you all the time. So I’m like obsessed.”
“Nice to meet you too. Why are you with him?” Lois questioned the phone bluntly.
Eve laughed. “Oh my god, you guys are too funny. What did you want to ask?”
“We were talking about the Luthor leak, when you were with him did you get any vibe he was sexually attracted to Superman?” Jimmy asked. His casual tone and phrasing were the exact opposite of what Clark would’ve preferred.
For a moment the silence from the phone seemed to stretch out into reality. The chatter of the other Daily Planet workers fading away as their small circle waited to hear the answer.
“I’m 90% sure he is, yeah.”
He felt his stomach turn. Back in Smallville when he was a kid, there’d been this old neighbour who scared Clark. The old man was bitter, angry and impatient with children. Once he screamed at a 5 year old girl until she cried. Whenever Clark looked at him, he saw the mass growing in his lower intestines. Ma and Pa explained the man had cancer for a long time, that it put him in a lot of pain. He couldn’t like him but whenever he looked at that mass, the one the man refused to speak of, Clark couldn’t hate him.
Steve silently threw his hands in the air victoriously, Cat matched his energy bouncing up and down in her seat noiselessly clapping. Jimmy held a hand out for them to hold it. “Uh, could you elaborate on that?”
“I mean, he was always really closed off. He talked about him all the time with anyone who’d listen. Sometimes he’d just monologue to Ultraman. There was definitely a vibe.”
Cat leaned closer to the phone. “So did you ever actually see him with explicit Superman material?”
There was a hum from the other end of the line. “I guess not but… the vibe, you know?”
Outbursts of dissatisfied mumbling erupted from their little group. Jimmy cleared his throat. “Alright, thanks Eve.”
“Okay, can’t wait to see you when I get back. Call me tonight!” She answered happily.
The Daily Planet’s young photographer smiled. “I will. Have a good time at the springs.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet Jimmy.” Eve cooed. “I could marry you.”
He choked. “Hang on, I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up.” Jimmy swiftly hung up the phone.
The exchange had Clark breaking into a small smile. “Sounds like things are going well for you two.”
Jimmy ducked his head sheepishly with a noncommittal noise.
Cat leaned back in her chair, groaning. “Back to where we started then.”
Lois clicked her tongue. “Sexuality without a sex act is hard to prove, I think we’ve hit a dead end.”
Clark barely managed to cover his smile of relief, catching this Lois snuck him a wink while the other three sat in quiet disappointment.
“You guys wanna see some pictures of my gay brother?” Steve raised his phone.
That captivated them for the rest of their collective procrastination. Steve proudly scrolled through photos of his handsome brother. One in front of a truly impressive Warhammer 40k collection, one at a dog shelter, one of the brothers together at a bar with matching drunk smiles.
“Oh my god, he is gorgeous.” Cat gushed, fanning herself. “Look at those muscles. Do you have a straight brother?”
The sports reporter frowned. “Uh yeah, me! I’m a specimen. Everyone’s trying to board the Steve train.” He flexed his arm.
She looked remarkably unimpressed.
“Why train? That’s a weird choice. Makes you think of ‘run a train’.” Lois mused aloud.
Steve drew back disgusted. “No, it doesn’t. No one was thinking that.”
“How long’s your brother been collecting Warhammer? It’s Custodes right?” Clark took the chance to ask. He genuinely wanted to know. His own collection wasn’t great because he hadn't had many chances to play.
“Since he was 13 and yeah it’s Custodes.” He got a funny look in his eye. “You sure you don’t want his number? You know just in case?”
“No!”
It was easy to pretend after that things would be okay. That people were capable of maturity and empathy (granted after some indelicate jesting). That there was a desire to understand the other.
Large chunks of shattered glass from LuthorCorp’s windows littered the taped off pavement below. There was a burnt smell in the air. Blue lights flashed from the top story. Superman shot to the light source.
Livewire was suspending herself in the air, streams of electricity shooting from her hands. Her blue body- her form, crackled and snapped intermittently like a hazy image on an old tv. Spots of black dotted the carpet and walls. Another was created in a second as a wooden desk exploded into burning shards. “Come out, Luthor! Come to my house, frighten my girlfriend and now you’re too chicken shit to face me?”
“Leslie!” Superman yells.
She glares at him, eyes consumed by electric blue.
“I know you’re angry but you’re capable of a lot more than this.” He begins. “You can still-“
Luthor roars at the top of his lungs as he charges into her in his bulky rubber coated mech. The gloves of the suit sparked yellow as he grabbed Livewire by the shoulders and shoved her through the floor.
Superman heard the two land on the floor below with a loud thud. “Cheese and crackers.” He muttered to himself.
He flew through the hole they’d made in the floor. Below where he hovered, Lex Luthor was repeatedly punching Livewire in the face. Her body glitched between spectral electricity and flesh and bone. Luthor wasn’t faring well either. His exposed face was bruised. Dried blood crusted down his eyebrow and both ears. Livewire took advantage of a second long pause between blows, bracing her hands on each side of his head, electrocuting him.
Superman sped over and pulled the two apart before they could do more damage to each other. He held them in one hand each. “Are you both alive?”
Livewire made a screeching growl, trying to claw at Luthor from a literal arms length away. In turn, he recovered his faculties quickly, weakly kicking at her.
“Good. Alright, now we’re- no, stop,” They both struggled in his grasp. “That’s enough! I’m taking you both to the authorities.”
Livewire clawed at his hand ineffectively. “He intimidates my girlfriend and I’m in trouble?”
“He’s going to be punished for that.” Superman assured her.
A mechanised boot swung at his ribs. The halting response time on the action told him the suit had been damaged during their fighting. “Get your hand off me, you alien freak.”
The super villain hanging from his right hand laughed hoarsely. “Aw, trouble in paradise? I thought you and your boyfriend liked it rough?”
In an instant Luthor’s eyes lit up with fury. He started trying to hit her again with renewed vigour, dangerously close to making contact. “I’ll fucking kill you! I will kill anyone you love!”
His voice shook from the force of his yelling. Luthor’s eyes were bloodshot, there were dark circles underneath them. Clark knew with sudden absolute certainty that it was all true. Luthor was…
Superman flew through one of the now empty windows at super speed. It disoriented his two passengers enough that they were unable to run away once they landed on the ground. Officers were equipped with specialised handcuffs for Ms Willis. The closest thing they had ready for Luthor’s suit was the Jaws of Life. Clark had to the still struggling man in a headlock as the mech was peeled off him. As he held him, he tried to think of what he should say.
As the authorities pulled him from his suit. Superman walked over to Turpin, the head of the Special Crimes Unit. “Excuse me?”
The officer with big bushy eyebrows gave him an impatient look. “Yeah?”
“Any chance I could talk to Luthor in holding? I’d need complete privacy.”
Turpin shook his head with a sigh. “You know, I’m not even going to ask why. Could I talk you out of it?”
“I’ve got to try.” Superman stated firmly.
“If it was anyone else, I’d tell ‘em to take a hike. Especially if it was that green one with the bad hair.” He pulled a cigarette out of his coat pocket. “For you though, I’ll make an exception this one time.”
“Thank you, Dan. I really appreciate it.” Watching the man light the cigarette, he couldn’t help but add. “You really shouldn’t smoke, you know.”
The withering glare this earned told him he’d pushed his luck. Superman took off in the direction of the Metropolis Police Station.
He flew around the area, performing small good deeds nearby then checking back for some kind of signal. After two hours, Turpin stood out the front smoking a cigarette. As he did he scratched the side of his head with his middle finger. Taking the cue, Superman landed next to him. Not saying anything, Turpin jerked his head toward the entrance.
He stepped in cautiously. It was dark. Not that was a problem with his vision. There didn't appear to be any officers around. The reception and the hallway were completely clear. Superman knew he wouldn’t have long. A few rooms down, he picked up the sound of a familiar voice demanding to know what’s going on, saying they would hear about this from his lawyer.
Superman pushed the door open. “Lex?”
The other man was sitting in a metal chair, connected to the table with handcuffs. He jolted away, the cuffs keeping him from going too far. His heartbeat was spiking. Still, Luthor fixed his posture sitting up as tall as he could. He did a single loud clap. “So you’ve finally come to kill me?” Luthor asked with bravado.
“What?” Superman responded, baffled. “No! I’m not going to- why would you-?”
He realised what the situation looked like to the other man. Superman quickly flew to the light switch, the overhead fluorescent light flickered to life. The cameras remained out. Luthor’s bruises had fully bloomed in the aftermath of the fight. Swirls of purple, green and grey decorated spots of the little skin he showed. His eyes seemed hazier than they had prior to electrocution. Clark always hated seeing injuries, it was too easy how they must feel.
Superman cleared his throat. “May I sit down?”
Luthor was healthy enough to stare him down incredulously. “No.”
Ask stupid questions, win stupid prizes Clark guessed. The idea of standing above Luthor during this conversation was uncomfortable so he ignored him and took the seat across from him.
It didn’t go unmissed by the other man who ‘tsked’ disapprovingly the second he sat down.
Rather than look him in the eyes, Superman gazed down at the scratched metal surface of the table as he gathered his words. “I really don’t…understand you.” He began slowly.
“Good.” The billionaire, or was he millionaire now?, scoffed.
“I don’t understand what you want from me.” Clark continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I don’t- I’ve seen the leaks, Lex.”
His heartbeat sped up again. Clark could practically hear his muscles tense up. “What about it?” Luthor spat, voice steady. “Baseless reactive slander.”
“Yeah, I thought that too at first.” Until I saw your reaction, realised how you’d been looking at me. There was no way Luthor could hear that calmly. “I’m not going to tell anyone.”
Clark waited for the hostile interruption but Luthor was silent. He looked up at him. The glare was stronger, his blue eyes stayed on him like the laser of a sniper. Stony as he appeared, Clark felt the other man was on the cusp of falling to pieces.
“Is there something I could do? That would…” Make you less destructive? Make you less singlemindedly obsessed? “Help? You’ve done some awful things Luthor. Some that I really don’t know if I can forgive but if you can explain this to me, I’ll try my best to respect your feelings. We can work something out.”
Clark tried to speak from the heart, carefully and with consideration to how the other man would feel.
He realises it was an enormous mistake.
Tears stream down Luthor’s reddened face against the efforts of his tightly clenched jaw and closed eyes. His shoulders shake. Luthor had no interest in talking about whatever he felt for him. It disgusted him. Made him ashamed. The olive branch Clark had just tried to extend was worse than condescending.
“I’m sorry.” Please, don’t take this out on anyone else. Please don’t do anything terrible, I didn’t know. “I-“
Luthor took a shuddering breath, keeping his eyes closed. “Get. Out.”
Clark hesitated.
He slammed both fists down on the table. “Now!”
Superman quietly left the precinct. It was drizzling outside, light grey clouds covered the skies. People walked the streets, halfheartedly shielding themselves from the rain with newspapers or pulled up shirt collars. Couples linked arm in arm. It was a normal night.