Fic - SV - Resolve (Superhero!Lex WIP)
Some more Superhero!Lex. Current count is nearly 7000 words.
Clark/Lex, PG-13/R, about 1200 words. None of these people, other than the scientists, are mine. The lab is a mixture of the comics and the Bruce and Clark (it's them, not Bats and Supes) story in Alex Ross' Mythology. Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Coded list of previous parts and artwork:
Masks (fic) - Clark wearing just the wings (manip) - Wings (fic)
Powers and Responsibility (fic) - Lex as UltraMan (manip)
Clark and Lex wrapped in the wings (manip) - Genesis of UltraMan (fic)
First Patrol (fic) - UltraMan and Superman (manip) - Training Day (fic)
Daylight Savings Time (fic) - Weapon of Choice (fic)
9 - Resolve
In the morning, over breakfast, Clark decided to take the bull by the horns and just go for it.
“Lex, I miss being Superman. I miss the sun charging me up, I miss my powers. Last night, you were so broken, so upset, Lex. It scared me. And other than your first night as UltraMan, the last time I was that scared, you were...”
Clark couldn’t say the rest, so was thankful that Lex asked, “Singing to a blanket?”
“Yes, Lex,” Clark softly admitted.
Lex said, “I remember you being so broken was after your first night in the suit, and so many other times. But we put you back together, and you became more confident as Superman. Yes, you need your powers back. You need to glow again. You are so much better at this than I am... So discouraged after so little time, what’s that all about? And why couldn’t we articulate all of this last night, Clark?”
“You've been doing a great job, Lex! As for the other thing, we were just too tired, physically and emotionally,” Clark said.
Apparently getting his thoughts back on track, Lex continued, “And I need to be able to do a decent day’s work at LexCorp. Just how do you sneak away when you’re needed elsewhere? So, I’ll take the gun to Diego’s lab. He and his team will get it working again. I need to think who I’ll ask to fire it at us. Then, when we’re both back to normal, I’ll sue this woman for every cent she has.”
God, Lex was so hot when he was on a roll. Clark had to take a deep breath to steady himself.
Then he processed some of Lex’s words. Dr Diego Martinez ran the very covert Kryptonite ballistics and armory lab, maintained in case Clark was subjected to magic or mind control, and went rogue. He was the most powerful being on Earth and somehow, he’d have to be taken down. Just who would fire that shot was something Clark refused to think about.
Lex had also mentioned suing Dr Blacksmith. Why did he want to do that? Loads of people hated the Daily Planet. She was just one out of many. “Lex? Why do you want to sue her?” Clark asked.
“Money, Clark,” Lex said. “Her antics have made a big dent in LexCorp’s stock price. Metropolis loves you. The citizens should have confidence in Maggie, Dan and the rest of the police to keep them safe. That’s their job. They shouldn’t need you as well. None of you should be needed, for that matter. But you all make your cities’ people feel safer. And Superman not being out there has made the people jittery. And that’s made investors jittery, which affected the stock price.”
“In less than two weeks?” Clark asked.
“It can happen in a day, Clark. All it takes is one person making a string of bad choices and a company’s stock price can collapse,” Lex said.
“OK, OK! Spare me the lecture!” Clark said, cutting Lex off before he launched into some huge spiel. “I keep you from going bust, do I?” he asked.
“You keep me from so much more than that, Clark,” Lex said, gathering up the plates and getting up from the table. “C’mon, we need to get off to work.” He called for a car to be brought round and fetched the box containing the gun, while Clark washed the plates and left them to drain.
***
The car dropped Clark at the Daily Planet. He kissed Lex goodbye, saying, ”Have fun playing M to Dr Martinez’s Q.”
“Oh, I shall, Clark,” Lex said. “I can’t wait to see Diego’s face when I confront him with the gun. There’ll be a considerable amount of swearing, most probably. Mainly out of jealousy, and regret that he didn’t think of the combination first.”
Despite the subject matter of Lex’s words, Clark smiled. Lex had a plan, now. He was much happier than he’d been last night. Clark kissed Lex again, and left the car. He entered the Daily Planet and took the elevator up to the newsroom. “Morning, Lois, Chloe, Jimmy,” he greeted. “What are we working on today?”
Both girls glared at him.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Clark?” Lois said, clearly giving him no chance to say ‘no’.
Chloe had told him he had to tell Lois. She was right. “I believe there is, Lois. C’mon, let’s go in the conference room,” Clark said. When they were in there, and sat down, Clark made Lois give him her word before he began his story, “Chloe and Lex also know what I’m about to tell you. You must not breathe a word of this to anyone other than them, Lois. Promise me?”
“I promise, Clark,” she said.
Satisfied, Clark began: “Once upon a time, there was a little boy from Krypton, who landed on Earth in a small spaceship, and was taken in by Jonathan and Martha Kent...”
***
Remarkably, Lois let him finish his whole story, not interrupting once. And then, like the excellent reporter she was, she fired off the questions. Clark answered them as comprehensively as possible. Then he asked, “Have we got anything else on Dr Blacksmith?”
“Plenty, Clark!” Lois exclaimed, getting up. “Let me show you!”
They left the conference room. Clark winked at Chloe, and mouthed, “Disaster averted.” Chloe gave him smile and a thumbs-up in response. While Lois gathered her notes, Clark sat at his desk and wondered how was Lex getting on. Then Lois descended on him and he had no more time to wonder.
***
There had indeed been a lot of swearing. In both Spanish and English.
“Can you and your boys and girls get it going again? I will not tell you why I need this particular weapon to be functional. Just tell me you can do it, Diego,” Lex said, his voice a little thick.
“You only hire the best, don’t you? Of course we can do it, Lex,” Dr Martinez said. “Or is it M?”
This was a very old joke between them. “Thank you, Q,” Lex said, laughing. He exited the lab, and watched through the window in the door, as Diego called his team to the central table and showed them the gun.
Yes, they could do it. After all, he did only hire the best. The very, very best.
Lex went back up to his office and got on with the rest of his day’s work.
Around 2pm, someone screamed, “Help! UltraMan!”
Lex pulled the cowl and boots from his briefcase, changed and opened the window. Then he was in the air, and off in search of the person who needed his help. He could do this, just for a little while longer.
***
At the weekend, the Warrior Angel and Devilicus costumes arrived, by courier. They didn’t get much more than a passing glance, before they were put away until they could be more closely examined, when everything was back to normal.
The sooner that happened, the better, as far as Clark was concerned. He couldn’t wait to see Lex in the purple, the mask and the wings.
Something he was soon informing Lex of, back in bed, between kisses and caresses.
TBC
Clark/Lex, PG-13/R, about 1200 words. None of these people, other than the scientists, are mine. The lab is a mixture of the comics and the Bruce and Clark (it's them, not Bats and Supes) story in Alex Ross' Mythology. Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Coded list of previous parts and artwork:
Masks (fic) - Clark wearing just the wings (manip) - Wings (fic)
Powers and Responsibility (fic) - Lex as UltraMan (manip)
Clark and Lex wrapped in the wings (manip) - Genesis of UltraMan (fic)
First Patrol (fic) - UltraMan and Superman (manip) - Training Day (fic)
Daylight Savings Time (fic) - Weapon of Choice (fic)
9 - Resolve
In the morning, over breakfast, Clark decided to take the bull by the horns and just go for it.
“Lex, I miss being Superman. I miss the sun charging me up, I miss my powers. Last night, you were so broken, so upset, Lex. It scared me. And other than your first night as UltraMan, the last time I was that scared, you were...”
Clark couldn’t say the rest, so was thankful that Lex asked, “Singing to a blanket?”
“Yes, Lex,” Clark softly admitted.
Lex said, “I remember you being so broken was after your first night in the suit, and so many other times. But we put you back together, and you became more confident as Superman. Yes, you need your powers back. You need to glow again. You are so much better at this than I am... So discouraged after so little time, what’s that all about? And why couldn’t we articulate all of this last night, Clark?”
“You've been doing a great job, Lex! As for the other thing, we were just too tired, physically and emotionally,” Clark said.
Apparently getting his thoughts back on track, Lex continued, “And I need to be able to do a decent day’s work at LexCorp. Just how do you sneak away when you’re needed elsewhere? So, I’ll take the gun to Diego’s lab. He and his team will get it working again. I need to think who I’ll ask to fire it at us. Then, when we’re both back to normal, I’ll sue this woman for every cent she has.”
God, Lex was so hot when he was on a roll. Clark had to take a deep breath to steady himself.
Then he processed some of Lex’s words. Dr Diego Martinez ran the very covert Kryptonite ballistics and armory lab, maintained in case Clark was subjected to magic or mind control, and went rogue. He was the most powerful being on Earth and somehow, he’d have to be taken down. Just who would fire that shot was something Clark refused to think about.
Lex had also mentioned suing Dr Blacksmith. Why did he want to do that? Loads of people hated the Daily Planet. She was just one out of many. “Lex? Why do you want to sue her?” Clark asked.
“Money, Clark,” Lex said. “Her antics have made a big dent in LexCorp’s stock price. Metropolis loves you. The citizens should have confidence in Maggie, Dan and the rest of the police to keep them safe. That’s their job. They shouldn’t need you as well. None of you should be needed, for that matter. But you all make your cities’ people feel safer. And Superman not being out there has made the people jittery. And that’s made investors jittery, which affected the stock price.”
“In less than two weeks?” Clark asked.
“It can happen in a day, Clark. All it takes is one person making a string of bad choices and a company’s stock price can collapse,” Lex said.
“OK, OK! Spare me the lecture!” Clark said, cutting Lex off before he launched into some huge spiel. “I keep you from going bust, do I?” he asked.
“You keep me from so much more than that, Clark,” Lex said, gathering up the plates and getting up from the table. “C’mon, we need to get off to work.” He called for a car to be brought round and fetched the box containing the gun, while Clark washed the plates and left them to drain.
***
The car dropped Clark at the Daily Planet. He kissed Lex goodbye, saying, ”Have fun playing M to Dr Martinez’s Q.”
“Oh, I shall, Clark,” Lex said. “I can’t wait to see Diego’s face when I confront him with the gun. There’ll be a considerable amount of swearing, most probably. Mainly out of jealousy, and regret that he didn’t think of the combination first.”
Despite the subject matter of Lex’s words, Clark smiled. Lex had a plan, now. He was much happier than he’d been last night. Clark kissed Lex again, and left the car. He entered the Daily Planet and took the elevator up to the newsroom. “Morning, Lois, Chloe, Jimmy,” he greeted. “What are we working on today?”
Both girls glared at him.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Clark?” Lois said, clearly giving him no chance to say ‘no’.
Chloe had told him he had to tell Lois. She was right. “I believe there is, Lois. C’mon, let’s go in the conference room,” Clark said. When they were in there, and sat down, Clark made Lois give him her word before he began his story, “Chloe and Lex also know what I’m about to tell you. You must not breathe a word of this to anyone other than them, Lois. Promise me?”
“I promise, Clark,” she said.
Satisfied, Clark began: “Once upon a time, there was a little boy from Krypton, who landed on Earth in a small spaceship, and was taken in by Jonathan and Martha Kent...”
***
Remarkably, Lois let him finish his whole story, not interrupting once. And then, like the excellent reporter she was, she fired off the questions. Clark answered them as comprehensively as possible. Then he asked, “Have we got anything else on Dr Blacksmith?”
“Plenty, Clark!” Lois exclaimed, getting up. “Let me show you!”
They left the conference room. Clark winked at Chloe, and mouthed, “Disaster averted.” Chloe gave him smile and a thumbs-up in response. While Lois gathered her notes, Clark sat at his desk and wondered how was Lex getting on. Then Lois descended on him and he had no more time to wonder.
***
There had indeed been a lot of swearing. In both Spanish and English.
“Can you and your boys and girls get it going again? I will not tell you why I need this particular weapon to be functional. Just tell me you can do it, Diego,” Lex said, his voice a little thick.
“You only hire the best, don’t you? Of course we can do it, Lex,” Dr Martinez said. “Or is it M?”
This was a very old joke between them. “Thank you, Q,” Lex said, laughing. He exited the lab, and watched through the window in the door, as Diego called his team to the central table and showed them the gun.
Yes, they could do it. After all, he did only hire the best. The very, very best.
Lex went back up to his office and got on with the rest of his day’s work.
Around 2pm, someone screamed, “Help! UltraMan!”
Lex pulled the cowl and boots from his briefcase, changed and opened the window. Then he was in the air, and off in search of the person who needed his help. He could do this, just for a little while longer.
***
At the weekend, the Warrior Angel and Devilicus costumes arrived, by courier. They didn’t get much more than a passing glance, before they were put away until they could be more closely examined, when everything was back to normal.
The sooner that happened, the better, as far as Clark was concerned. He couldn’t wait to see Lex in the purple, the mask and the wings.
Something he was soon informing Lex of, back in bed, between kisses and caresses.
TBC