#slex

With his arms crossed, Slade leans back against the elevator walls as he glares at Lex. It’s not just the two of them in the elevator right now but it might as well be. An uncomfortably thick and tense silence hangs in the air as they ascend LexCorp tower. Lex, despite the enraged glare that’s being thrown to him, doesn’t actually acknowledge Slade’s persistent pouting. 

The door of the elevator opens and a few people shuffle out of the doors, excited to finally get away from the awkwardness that is that elevator ride. There’s just four that remain. The adoringly toxic, yet still secret, couple that are Lex and Slade. Ethan, a member of one of Slade’s security team that splits his time between that and working on weapon development with Lex. And Gladys. Poor, poor Gladys…She’s got no idea what she’s in for. 

Given the far emptier surrounding, Slade takes his chance and swings for it. 

“You’re a fucking dick, Luthor.”

Ethan has to stop himself from cackling, the sheer suddenness mixed with the overly blunt way Slade said it caught him off guard enough to elicit a nervous chuckle from him.  Though he bites it back when Slade’s ire briefly turns to him before it’s shifted back to its original target. 

“What did I do now, Wilson?” Lex barely acknowledges him, his attention squarely on the phone in his hands as it scrolls. 

“You know damn well what you did, you little fucking prick!”

“Whoa! That’s not appropriate for the workplace, Mr. Wilson!” Gladys scolds. 

Slade scoffs at the attempt at discipline, he doesn’t even know what the fuck Gladys does at the company and sure as shit isn’t going to take her nose budding in where it doesn’t belong. 

“Yow know what else isn’t appropriate for the workplace, Gladys?! This asshole right here shoving his cock in my mouth while I’m under the desk during a meeting!!” 

Lex chokes on air, Ethan slaps a hand over his mouth as he turns his head to the side to keep from laughing again, and Gladys just gasps loudly while looking at Slade shocked. 

“YEAH, GLADYS! GASP!” Slade’s fists are balled as he stands, his shoulders tense as he glares down at Gladys who is all but clutching her pearls right now. 

“SLADE!” Lex chides, his cheeks blushing every so slightly at the impulsive admittance. 

As his shoulders stop shaking from his buried laughter, Ethan slowly turns to look at Lex, trying to ignore Slade’s fuming state. “Didn’t…Didn’t you tell me to remind you to write Wilson up for missing that meeting?” 

“I did write him up for missing that meeting.” 

“I was under the fucking desk! You know I was there! I was cockwarming you the entire time we had that stupid fucking meeting!”

With that Gladys and Ethan make their exit, Ethan barely managing to get out of the elevator while he laughs while Gladys leaves in a huff. Now alone, Lex turns to glare up at Slade with burning red cheeks. 

“I can’t believe that’s how you decide to let it slip that we're together! By yelling at Gladys about you failing to get me off last week!”

“FAILING?! You told me to cockwarm you so that after that boring ass meeting, you could bend me over the table and fuck my brains out!”

“Why are you yelling at me? I delivered on my half of that agreement.” Lex slips his phone into his pocket before he looks up at Slade with a rather uninterested look on his face. 

“Yeah, and I delivered mine! You told me to cock warm you and I did!” Slade taps his foot in irritation, he wasn’t even going to bring this whole argument back up until Gladys practically forced his hand on it. Fucking Gladys. 

“You actually didn’t. I told you not to cum, like…explicitly I said that you weren’t allowed to cum before the meeting was over.”

“THAT WAS BEFORE YOU GAVE ME A FOOTJOB!” Slade has the comedic timing of a God. He yelled that right as the elevator doors opened up to the floor they both needed to get off at. The few people waiting in the lobby stopped what they were doing to turn and look at the pair as Lex forward. 

“I would really rather not discuss this at the office…” Lex mutters under his breath, his eyes cast low as he tries to avoid the looks of employees as he passes them.

“You had no problem foot fucking me at the office so why’s it a problem to talk about it now?” Slade asks as he follows. The candor of Slade’s words only works to aggravate Lex’s embarrassed state more. 

Through grit teeth and in a higher pitch tone than Slade thought Lex could muster, Lex whips his head back to his no longer so secret boyfriend before he practically begs. “Can we not right now?!” 

Slade’s shoulders drop as he sighs, a click of his tongue only echoing his annoyance further as Lex gets to the double doors of his office. Slade’s willing to drop this for now but his initial displeasure with Lex, the one that started the back and forth in the elevator in the first place, has not been forgotten that easily. 

“I still think you’re a dick.” 

Lex stops in his tracks. He was just about to close the door to his office when Slade said that but now his face is scrunched in a quizzical fashion as he stares at Slade, silently demanding an explanation. 

“Are you still mad about that thing from this morning?!”

“Yes! I am still mad about that thing from this morning! I had to sit in a shitty meeting with HR about how I should be ‘more of a team player’ and ‘Being there for your fellow members of management is important’ and that ‘Punctuality is a sign of respect. All because I got another write up for missing a meeting when YOU knew I was there and YOU were the one who wrote me up!” 

…

“Well, you weren’t present at the meeting for everybody else so I had to say I was going to talk to you about it.”

“Yeah, you can say you’re gonna do it but you don’t actually have to do it!” Slade crosses his arms over his chest as he gals down at his boyfriend, his eye twitching when he sees Lex smirk ever so slightly before he retorts. 

“If I felt like you put any effort into the whole ordeal I might’ve acted differently.” Lex discloses, his hand palm upward towards Slade as he speaks in a dismissive manner to accentuate his point. 

Slade’s jaw drops, his eye twitching again as he tries to piece together whatever Lex could possibly be talking about. 

“Effort?! You love how I cock warm you!” Stomping his foot like a toddler, Slade crosses his arms over his chest. “You fucked my brains out afterwards too, so I know you had a good time!” 

“I did. But still, you just kinda…had me in your mouth. I didn’t feel like you were trying to get me off when you were under my desk.” 

“You told me to NOT get you off! You said you wanted me to get you READY so that the second the meeting ended, you could fuck me over the desk! That’s what I did!” 

“You also directly disobeyed me. I told you that you weren’t allowed to finish before we started fucking and yo-” Lex starts but he’s interrupted by Slade throwing his arms up and making a bold— and unashamed—declaration. “Yeah, yeah! I came in my pants! I know that because I was there when it happened! But that only happened because you got frisky and started giving me a footjob!” 

Lex had tried to keep his composure during this spicy spat but he’d had enough now. He hastily grabs Slade by the shirt collar and pulls the taller man into his office so the rest of the building doesn’t have to hear Slade spill their exploits. The moment the door is closed, Lex locks it while Slade just brushes the new wrinkles out of his shirt, waiting for Lex to continue their back and forth. 

“I can’t believe that you’d just keep yelling all that shit for everyone to hear! God, I can already see the headlines…” Lex inches the bridge of his nose, his glasses being lifted ever so slightly to allow it as he closes his eyes, trying to think of what to do next. 

“So what about the headlines? It’s out in the open now, who cares! It’s not like you’re gonna get canceled or anything for it. You’re fucking your bodyguard, I can name at least six romance novels that have that exact prem-! Hmmm…” Slade’s jeer is cut off by Lex pressing their lips together, Lex’s desperation evident as he grabs the front of Slade’s shirt with balled fists. 

Breaking the liplock for air, Slade gasps lightly as he pulls back, having been under prepared for such a frantic makeout. 

“Heh…What was that for?” Slade tilts his head to the side as he rests his hands gently on Lex’s hips, keeping the shorter man close as he pries for more info. 

“Can’t I just want to kiss you? I thought you’d be happy now…Seeing as our little secret just became the new office gossip for the next three weeks…” Lex pouts as his words softly leave his lips as he shifts his weight from one foot to the next, almost like he’s nervous or like he’s expecting something. 

“You’re only giving that news three weeks to be the hot topic? Guess I better give them something else to latch onto after that, huh?” Slade tries to bring Lex closer but the latter resists his pull, though Slade is able to overpower him and force his boyfriend against him more. The unexpected bulge pressing into Slade’s side as he holds Lex earns the man a surprised grin and a coaxing taunt. “Ohh ho ho…I see. Me talking about it got you all excited, didn’t it?” 

Lex turns his head to the side, trying his best to avoid Slade’s lusting gaze as he speaks. “I just…It was hot is all! I…I guess I liked you finally admitting that you’re mine to other people.” 

Slade snickers lowly as he brings his head down, nibbling on Lex’s ear gently before whispering breathly. “I’m yours, am I? I seem to recall  a certain someone begging me to let him cum this morning…Sounds more like you belong to me than the other way around.” 

Lex’s bottom lip is slightly swollen from just how hard he was biting it when he felt Slade start nibbling on his lobe again, the sensation only bringing forth more excitement he knows he has to bury, at least for now. He can’t even form a proper response as Slade continues, trying in earnest to force any sounds of pleasure out of Lex. 

“You-You can still belong to me, even if we switch from time to time. It-it’s not like it’s dependent on who tops.” Lex pulls his ear from Slade’s teeth as he turns to look up at him, his eyes hungry with need as he feels his cock twitch in anticipation as Slade slowly tugs them closer to the desk. “And before you ask, you’re not fucking me on the desk right now…If we fuck in my office, I get to top. Thems the rules.” 

“Ack-! I never agreed to that! Plus we’ve fucked in your office like three times already and I’ve topped you in two of them! I’m not agreeing to bullshit terms, Luthor! Besides, I’ don’t want to fuck you right now. I’ve got a better idea.” 

Lex rolls his eyes as he lets Slade drag him to the desk, the taller man lifting Lex so that he’s sitting on the edge of the desk. Lex allows himself to be lifted, shifting a little to make himself more comfortable as Slade slowly gets onto his knees before him. Lex cocks an eyebrow upward, almost like he doesn’t trust the situation as it’s playing out until Slade gently spreads Lex’s legs apart. 

“Slade, what are you doing?” Lex watches hesitantly as Slade practically snuggles against one of Lex’s legs, a strong hand running up the side of his clothed limb and back down it in a teasing, yet soothing manner.

“You got so excited about me talking about it. I just wanna get another taste of you before I go downstairs and start actually working today. I can’t very well leave you all pent up all day, now can I?” Slade starts, his free hand coming up to slowly undo the button of Lex’s black dress pants. 

Lex doesn’t push Slade away, instead he leans back slightly, his palms pressed into the dark wood of his desk as he peers down at his boyfriend. Slade’s hand skillfully undoes Lex’s belt and zipper, the smaller man having to help the other minimally as his pants and underwear are tugged downwards just enough to free his throbbing cock. Moaning slightly at the relife, Lex closes his eyes as Slade gently takes his cock in his freehand, his other still trailing up and down along Lex’s leg gingerly. 

“I’m not hearing a ‘No’, Mr.Luthor~” Slade muses, his hand giving a few encouraging strokes to try and rile Lex more before he takes him in his mouth. A swift lick to Lex’s already weeping member and the slow dragging of his tongue along the underside of the shaft earns a throaty moan from the man on the receiving end of the sexual praise. Slade slowly bobs his head downward, Lex’s thick cock sliding along Slade’s wet tongue into the welcoming warm cavern that is his mouth. 

“Oh fuck…Slade, I love how easily you take me…” Lex’s words barely register to Slade, all the man’s focus on the now familiar taste of Lex’s precum as it coats his tongue. A pleased hum that reverberates through Lex’s cock from Slade’s throat sends a shiver through his increasingly tempered frame. Rubbing Lex’s swollen head against the inside of his cheek, Slade opens his eye to look up at Lex as he settles around his boyfriend. The corners of his mouth doing their best to tick upwards as he sees the nearly blissed out expression on Lex’s face as he works. 

With intentionally slow and deliberate bobs of his head, Slade palms the growing tent in his pants with Lex’s mewls and whines only acting as encouragement as he does so. The copious amounts of precum that Slade tastes from Lex make him question the smaller man’s endurance for the day, the way Lex’s leg is jostling and the needy whimper that’s pieced between moans and whines it gives Slade the idea that their fun is nearing its end. 

Slade rolls his tongue across the head of Lex’s cock after he pulls his mouth away with an audible pop, a string of precum and saliva mixed together connects Slade’s bottom lip and the tender bundle of nerves at the tip of Lex’s member. The sloppy lewd sounds of Slade’s exaggerated moans as he drags his tongue along Lex’s shaft do little to quell Lex’s fast approaching release, but he has no intention of letting Slade take full control of this encounter. 

In his mild thrashing of his left leg, Lex had managed to get his shoe off without Slade really noticing, his sock clad foot now presses into the impressive tent of Slade’s pants that has unfortunately gone rather neglected—save for a few passing presses from Slade’s own hand. 

The sudden pressure evokes a pleased yet needful moan from Slade, his cock twitching beneath the cloth that ensnares it as he shifts his weight forward, trying in vain to force more contact as Lex pulls his foot away teasingly.  

“Oh-Oh you little tease…We’re doing this again, are we?” Slade asks as his head pulls to the side with Lex’s still coated member pressing against the side of his face as he looks up at Lex through the parted white bangs that have fallen in front of his face. 

“Are you complaining? From what I remember you had a pretty fulfilling time last time we played this game…” Lex teases as he presses his toes gingerly against the growing wetstop on the bulge of Slade’s pants. Biting back his moans, Slade presses the side of his face roughly against Lex’s cock before he brings the tip back to his lips, giving a quick swipe to the slit with his tongue, smirking when Lex jolts at the contact. 

“Who says I’m complaining? I just wanna know what rules we’re playing by this time, Lexi.” Teasing his tongue along Lex’s head, Slade’s hand gives a few lazy strokes as he awaits an answer.

Through half-lidded eyes, Lex intently watches Slade’s face as he brings his foot back down towards Slade’s crotch, his toes pressing into the ever growing bulge that keeps catching Lex’s attention. Lex’s foot teases against the hidden member as Slade arches himself forward, this time he’s not punished by the immediate removal of contact so he takes it as a welcomed motion. Slade moves his head, his lips wrapping around Lex’s throbbing cock, tongue swirling around the aching member as he works it back into his mouth. Every inch taken only earns Slade more and more contact, switching between light and airy brushes to harsh contact that border on the sadistic. The dynamic and uncertain pressure only urge Slade’s desire further, the completely unknown of what kind of pleasure he’s about to receive acting as both praise and demand. 

Lex’s alternating patterns aren’t fully intentional. Each pass of Slade’s tongue and every guttural moan that’s muffled by his own cock bring Lex closer and closer to his end. With eyes clenched shut and his head thrown back, Lex’s chest heaves as he throws out any chance of holding back his moans. Desperate cries yearning for release echo in the quiet office, Lex’s voice wavering each time Slade teases deepthroating him—though he never fully commits. 

This game goes on and on, each time Lex is right on the edge Slade lessens the intensity of his hold around Lex’s cock. With each pass and bob of the head Lex grows closer and closer to his end. The excess precum that tastes saltier than before, the mild buckling of Lex’s legs despite no weight being forced upon them, and the ever changing pace of Lex’s foot against Slade’s still caged erection, each are a sign that Lex has had just about all he can take. 

Soon enough Lex has his fingers laced through Slade’s white hair, his shaking hand forcing Slade to finally take him fully as Lex’s releases down the back of his throat. A deep moan rips through Lex’s throat as he holds Slade in place, bucking his hips lightly as he works himself through his orgasm. Slade isn’t far behind him either. When Lex went over the edge his foot pressed roughly into Slade’s erection, Lex’s toes curling tightly as he came and brushing against the head of Slade’s cock in just the right way to force his bodyguard over that same edge. 

Slade’s moan muffled Lex’s now softening cock as he bucks his hips upwards, practically begging for Lex to keep going despite the unmistakable wet spot that’s growing on the fabric of Slade’s pants. Both men ride out their orgasms as they drink in the presence of the other. Slade relishing in the taste of cum and the feel of Lex’s foot still brushing against the crotch of his pants while Lex takes deep inhales, the smell of Slade’s cologne unmistakable in his nostrils as he struggles to catch his breath while his cock is still safely tucked away in Slade’s mouth. 

As he pulls his head back, Slade takes Lex’s cock in his hand and runs his tongue over every inch of it, cleaning off any cum that might’ve still been clinging to it. Lex opens his eyes, his face painted a deep red as he looks down at his boyfriend. Saliva coats Slade’s chin and his hair is a mess, his bulge lessening but still not quite gone, and his single amber eye pierces Lex’s. A dark craving gaze, one that's so recognizable to Lex now that he’d be a fool to think they’re actually already done. With a half-cocked smile and a languid expression, Lex  steadies himself as he prepares to ask a question he already knows the answer to. 

“What? You wanna go again?” 

No verbal response is given. Instead, Slade roughly grabs the ankle of Lex’s left leg to bring the socked foot closer to his face. Slade bites down on the light gray fabric of Lex’s sock, the material already the slightest bit damp as he slowly pulls it off of Lex’s foot. As the clothing is slowly stripped from Lex’s body, the shorter man watches in awe as Slade never breaks eye contact with him during the somehow erotic display. The sock is cast off to the side with the toss of Slade’s head before he presses a gentle kiss to the ball of Lex’s foot, dragging his tongue over a tender patch of skin that while typically abused, is hardly ever given any special attention. 

“Sl-Slade, wh-what are you doing?” Lex tries to pull away but he’s stuck in Slade’s grasp so he can only watch as Slade unbuttons his pants. 

“We’ve already given everyone else something to talk about. I figured I might as well give you something to scream about all day…and then bitch at me all night for.” It’s said teasingly but there’s an air of sincerity around it, like Slade is practically begging for Lex to give in to the desire. 

“We are not spending the whole day fooling around in my office! We’ve already done enough for the day-Woah!” Lex is forced onto his back suddenly, Slade’s built frame towering over him from above before Slade makes a declaration that sends a shiver down Lex’s spine. 

“Luthor, I’ve already clocked in for my 8 hours today, you’re gonna make it more than worth my while. The only work I’m getting done today is happening at this desk…So whaddya say? Bend over it for me or lay on it so I can ride you first, CEO’s choice.” 

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?” Lex asks as he reaches up to undo his tie before he starts unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Not with a voice you aren’t, I’m gonna make you scream so much you can’t talk or walk right for a week.” 

In his moment of brazen overconfidence, Slade had closed his eye to make that declaration, but it only gives Lex the perfect opportunity to hastily tie the taller man’s hand together with the tie he’d just taken off. It’s a haphazardly done knot but one that works well enough to serve its purpose. With his hands now bound, Slade is tugged towards Lex’s by his arms before a zealous grin overtakes the once trepidatious man’s face. 

“Says the man who’s about to ride me for his whole work day. I’m your boss after all Mr.Wilson…And I don’t think you want to disappoint me, do you?” 

Slade’s feverish need is only heightened by Lex’s playful temptation. 

Lex scowls as he reads, an exasperated sigh leaving him as he struggles.  Slade looks over with a raised eyebrow as he watches his partner. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m just reading through my old college papers…” 

“And? What’s wrong with it?” 

“It’s a slog to get through! I actually thought this shit was good?! This is terrible! I’m actually embarrassed that I wrote this shit, Slade! I sound so fucking pretentious!”

Slade waits a second before speaking, smirking as he’s about to deliver a deathblow to Lex’s ego. 

“You’re still pretentious now. If that makes you feel any better.”

If he’d been asked what he’d be doing this Friday night, Slade wouldn’t have been able to give the right answer. Not because he was being cagey about his plans, but because it was just as much an unknown to him. This week, it was Lex’s turn to plan their little date night activity. 

Each week, whosever turn it was to plan their date would alternate. One week would be Lex and the next would be Slade, and so on and so forth. It wasn’t always on a Friday, but it typically did fall during the weekend—if nothing else for pure convenience sake. 

This week it was Lex’s turn to plan and he’d kept it a total secret the whole week. And honestly, with what the secret was? Slade wished it would've stayed hidden from him. 

“I can’t believe you thought this would be a good idea…” Slade mutters, just loud enough for Lex to hear from across the table and give his boyfriend a swift kick to the shin in response. 

“It was my week to pick and I thought this would be fun! I’m not having a bad time and if you’d pull the stick out of your ass, I think you’d have fun too!” Lex muses, the paint brush in his hand dipping back into its water cup before tapping it on the edge to get any excess off before changing colors. 

Here sits Slade Wilson. Ex-military. Ex-mercenary. Current Head of Security for LexCorp. Reduced to nothing more than a man dragged along by his boyfriend into a pottery painting studio on a Friday night….

“I didn’t think you and I had such differing opinions on the definition of fun, Lex.” Slade’s shoulders are slouched and his eye narrowed as he watches Lex happily continue to paint away. 

“Quit being a little bitch about this, Slade. Go pick something to paint! I’m gonna be at least an hour and a half, so you’re either gonna participate or you’re gonna be bored. Your choice.” 

Slade tilts his head back in resignation, his eye clenched shut while his lips form a thin line as he silently accepts his fate. Rising from his chair, Slade weaves in between tables and chairs, trying to dodge the other patrons as best he can given the tight layout of the establishment. 

“We could be out drinking, see a movie, go to a concert, go to a shooting range, go play darts…anything. I’d even take the fucking musesum again over this shit…” He shakes his head as he struggles to find anything lining the shelves that might be the slightest bit interesting to paint. Slade swears under his breath as he stops in his tracks, glaring at a small child who ran out in front of him without looking. Hugging the wall as he searches, Slade is just about to give up when he sees something out of the corner of his eye that catches his attention. 

“Pfft…The fuck are you?” Slalde wonders aloud as he walks closer to a shelf of mismatched pieces. Some from old shipments of seasonal stock they’d gotten in or just the random thing that the owner thought somebody might eventually paint. 

In this case, it’s an older looking piece that Slade knows has to be from an Easter stock. It’s a small rabbit that’s nibbling on a carrot that’s far too big for it and Slade’s mind is too dirty of a place for him not to think of something filthy. 

“Oh…Oh the resemblance is uncanny! Ha! He’s gonna fucking hate this.” Snickering to himself, Slade picks up the little rabbit and heads over to get some paints from the staff working running the paint bar before returning to the table Lex is still toiling away at. The small rabbit tucked just out of sight from Lex when he sits down. 

“Did you pick something out or are you still pouting?” Lex doesn’t look up from the robot he’s meticulously painting as he asks. 

“Oh don’t you worry, I found something that’s gonna keep me entertained." 

“Really?” Lex lifts his head in surprise and leans over to try and see what it is. 

“Ah! Hey! It’s a…surpise! I don’t want you to see it until I’m finished with it.” Slade fibs as he covers the object with his arm, just barely blocking Lex’s view in time. 

“Oh…well alright then! I’m glad you’re finally getting into the spirit of things. Remember to do three good coats or it’ll come out splochy.” 

“Heh…I intended to make this little guy a fucking masterpiece, Lex. You’re gonna be speechless when I’m done with it.” 

Lex smiles brightly at Slade, relieved that the gruff man might actually be coming around to the date idea. Leaving his boyfriend to his painting, Lex stands up to go grab more paint for himself, making sure to avoid looking at whatever it is Slade picked out so as to not ruin the surprise.

Slade watches Lex walk away before he starts painting. The rabbit has a fluff of hair on top of its head that was just messy and disheveled looking enough that it almost perfectly mirrored Lex’s own hairstyle. And luck would have it that the studio had just the perfect color of paint to match Slade’s inspiration. 

Lex returns with more paint in hand, his eyes wide with excitement as he sees how immersed in painting Slade looks. His boyfriend’s tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he’s focused on his piece. 

“You look so honed in, Slade. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re actually enjoying yourself.” Lex teases as he picks up his paintbrush again. 

“What can I say? I found a piece that…spoke to me is all.” Slade has to bite back a chuckle as he looks down at the rabbit that reminds him of someone very, very close to him. 

The night goes on, Lex trying in vain to sneak a glance at Slade’s work but he’s denied every time. Slade finishes before Lex but urges the smaller male to take his time, honestly Slade gets a kick out of it when he looks down at the small pottery piece he painted to mirror his boyfriend before shifting his gaze to look up at the real thing. 

A brief wave of disappointment creeps into Slade when Lex reveals that no, they can’t actually take them home tonight. 

“What do you mean we can’t take them home?!” 

“Well they have to dry and be put in the kiln and glazed. They aren’t finished yet. We can pick them up in a week when they’re done.”

Slade groans in annoyance, his arms crossed as he pouts looking down at his creation. There’s auburn hair that covers the rabbit’s head, the sickly pale color Slade painted the rabbit’s fur to mimic Lex’s skin tone…and the alt-colored carrot that the small rabbit is struggling to manage in its mouth. Instead of the typical orange color, the vegetable is closer in hue to a…flesh color.

Slade lets out a brief cackle but covers his mouth, trying to hide his amusement. The image in his mind of Lex reacting to the naughty abomination is enough to pull him from his tantrum.

So that’s what Salde works towards. 

All week leading up to them picking up their pottery, Slade is playing hype man for the naughty little rabbit he made. 

“You really are excited about this, aren’t you? I swear, you’ve talked more about your painting than you have about anything else this week that wasn’t food or sex related.” 

Slade slaps a hand over his mouth and bites his tongue. Some cruel god somewhere is playing a joke on him.  He couldn’t have set it up better himself for him to reveal what he painted there, but he has to keep it on the down low. Lex can’t learn anything about it until they pick them up tonight. Feigning a cough to stifle his laughter, Slade straightens his back before he speaks. 

“I’m just happy we get to pick them up tonight, I can’t wait for you to see it. And after we get them, we’ll go to my date night plan for us. I just hope you bring your appetite…” Slade trails off as he steps out of the elevator to go towards the basement training area, smirking to himself and only letting his laughter out when the doors close with Lex still in it going back up.

Later that night, Slade and Lex go into the studio together to pick up their art. Lex’s piece is the first one the worker brings up to the counter, Lex happily admiring his painted robot before the worker brings out Slade’s. 

Slade can see the hidden smirk on the employees face as he unwraps it, the young man just about losing it when he sees the striking similarities between the small painted rabbit and the muse for the piece together. The resemblance really is quite undeniable. So much so that Lex instantly recognizes them himself with just one look. 

“SLADE!”

Slade’s laughter is fully unleashed when he hears Lex’s shrill voice scold him. The white-haired male nearly doubles over in laughter, a tear springing to his eye as he can finally bask in the true comedic genius he’s been setting up for a week straight now. 

There, in all its glory, is Slade’s piece. A small, pale looking rabbit with auburn hair struggling to take a flesh toned carrot in its mouth. 

The other patrons of the studio turn to look at the pair but Lex is hastily making an exit, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment as he quickly makes his way to the car outside. That just leaves Slade all alone in the studio, the small rabbit figure in his hand while the worker rewraps Lex’s robot to put it in a bag for easier carrying. 

“It-haha…It really does look like him, man.” The worker admits as he hands Slade the bag before he continues. “But my-ha…haha! Ahem…My boss wanted me to ask you to-pffft-keep it PG next time…” The employee wipes a tear from his eye, trying to regain his composure. 

“HA! This?” Slade starts, holding up the small rabbit in his hands to show the employee. “This is insurance that he’s not gonna make me come back here for a next time.” Slade admits as he heads towards the door, the rabbit and Lex’s robot in hand. 

Slade opens the car door and climbs into the driver’s seat, already feeling a pair of eyes burning holes into the side of him. 

“I got your robot…” Slade smirks, reaching over to hand the bag to Lex who practically snatches it away from Slade. 

“I can’t believe you did that! Why’d you paint such a filthy fucking thing in a family place like that!?”

“Oh please, Lexi. You don’t give a shit about keeping things PG! Just admit you’re a little embarrassed…” Slade teases, poking Lex’s cheek with his finger while smirking at his boyfriend. 

“Of course I am! You painted a rabbit thing to look like it’s me giving you head! What the fuck is the matter with you?!” 

“What?! You inspire me! You’re my muse, what can I say?!” Slide tries to force his words through the giggles that slip from his lips but it only works to further anger Lex.

“You so fucking owe me.” Lex crosses his arms over his chest, the bag with his robot sitting on his lap as Slade reaches over to put something in range of his vision. 

In Slade’s hand is the little rabbit that’s painted in Lex’s likeness, the man seemingly trying to woo Lex with the creature’s admittedly cute image…Even if it is bordering on the indecent. Lex takes the figure from Slade and looks it over, scowling at the item as if it’s its fault Slade painted it in such a fashion. 

“Alright…I’ll give it to you. It’s-It’s not bad…It’s still a jackass thing to do! But it’s not bad…” Lex relents, looking over the rabbit in closer detail. “You’re still in trouble though.” It’s an added after thought, one that Lex probably doesn’t mean. 

“Am I still in trouble if I tell you I got us reservations at that new fusion place you said you wanted to try?” 

Lex makes a soft excited little hrmph noise unintentionally as he looks over at Slade expectantly. 

“Well, you’d be in less trouble…” Lex starts, trying to hide his excitement as Slade starts the car. 

“What if I told you I booked the VIP table?” 

Lex says nothing but seemingly drops the glare he was trying to force as Slade pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards the restaurant in question. 

“That’s what I thought. I figured this would be a good date night idea.” 

“Mine was a good idea, too. You just put a dirty spin on things. I had plenty of fun so I plan on going back.” 

“Oh, shit…Really?” 

“Yes, Slade! I had a good time! They get new stuff every other week or so, so I want to stop in every once in a while and have some fun.” Slade goes to interrupt Lex but Lex cuts him off, finishing his thought first. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you come with me! I don’t want to get banned from that place.” 

“Oh thank fuck…Like I made my own fun but I do not want to go back.” Slade admits as he pulls into the restaurant parking lot, finding a spot quicker than he thought he would. 

“That’s fine, Slade. Like I said, I don’t want to get banned.” 

Slade gets out of the driver seat and goes around to the passenger side, opening the door for Lex as he slides out. 

“Besides, I can just go with Ethan anyway…” Lex teases, smirking when he sees the anger on Slade’s face as he slams the door shut. 

“THE FUCK YOU CAN!” 

Lex just laughs as he walks away, ignoring Slade’s questioning protests as they near the restaurant's entrance. 

“Don’t you start going on friend dates with Ethan. I’ll fucking kill that little prick before you hang out with him out of work…” Slade mutters, his tone low and threatening as he looks down at Lex.

“Ohhh, is that jealousy I smell?”

“Pfft! No! Jealous of Ethan?! FUCK NO! I’m just saying…I don’t want you taking people to places like that that we go. That’s just for you and me…” Slade tries to play it cool but Lex can read him like an open book. 

Lex rolls his eyes as they take their seats, his hand gently rubbing on Slade’s arm as they wait for their waitress. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t go on any dates with Ethan…” Lex teases, smirking slightly when he sees the quick sneer on Slade’s face when he hears the name. 

“Good, you’re my little bunny after all.” Slade proclaims, his pride swelling slightly when he sees the smirk on Lex face drop, now being replaced with a flustered expression and cheeks burning bright red once again. 

“God, I can’t take you anywhere!!” Lex tries to hide his embarrassment but fails. Slade seeing straight through the forced calm on Lex’s face. 

“You’re thinking about the bunny and the carrot again, aren’t you?” Slade teases, his finger once again gently poking Lex’s cheek. 

“Shut up! I am not!” 

“Awww! Your cheeks are all puffy just like his!”

“I will fucking kill you, Slade…I will fucking kill you right now in this resturant…”

“Ok, ok! I’ll lay off…” Slade pulls back, his hands up innocently before he reaches forward and grabs one of the drink menus. 

 Lex does the same, the two quietly scanning over drink options before Slade turns the menu over and sees the dessert menu.

“I wonder if they have any carrot cake.” 

Slade watches Lex type away at his laptop from across the desk. Employee evaluations are due and it’s the only reason Slade has to be here. 

“There are a few areas for improvement-” 

“You know there’s a rumor we're dating, right?”

Lex scoffs, noting the interruption. 

“As I was saying…There’s a few ways you can improve as my bodyguard, Wilson.” 

“I think I treat your body pretty well, Lexi.” 

“I beg to differ.”

Slade closes the laptop as he nears Lex, tilting Lex’s chin up with a finger.

“Gonna beg like last night?” 

“That’s not gonna help those rumors.” 

Slade stood with his arms crossed sternly over his chest as he watched his partner’s frolicsome display. Lex happily stretched himself across their new piece of furniture, a string of content sighs spilling from him as he relaxed into the freshly delivered couch. While yes Lex was rather small, even with his arms extended past his head upwards and his legs stretched as far as he could force them, there was still plenty of space for Slade to sit beside him if the grown man ever decided to stop pouting. 

“I don’t like it.” Short—but not sweet—Slade was quick to let his earnest thoughts out, his foot tapping in annoyance as Lex dismissed him by plapping his hand against the dark surface, trying to entice Slade to give it a try. 

“How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t even tried it yet.” It’s not a real question so Lex doesn’t expect an answer as he wiggles into the couch more before looking up at Slade, his eyebrow cocked with piqued interest as the man practically glares at the inanimate object. 

“I liked the old one.” Slade whips his head to the side to avoid Lex’s eyes, the childish act only earns him a lightly vexed groan. 

“The old one was old. It was too worn out, wasn’t as comfortable, and had a spot that was somehow always wet that would never dry. We needed a new couch and this one is nice! You even liked it at the store, why the change of heart so suddenly?” Lex’s head dips to the side when he finishes, his hair falling briefly in front of his face before he blows it out with a short puff of his lips. 

“I liked it but I didn’t think you’d get the L-shaped one!” Slade confesses, his right arm gesturing to the second half of the couch he’d been trying to ignore. 

When they went couch shopping they had settled on the same model. A slightly longer couch that was similar in color to the one they had that could easily be worked into their living room’s layout. Slade had been under the impression that they would get a new couch, put it to the side perpendicular to the old one so that it would make a right angle with a small gap between the arms of both couches. He figured they could get a small side table to put on the outside of the corner so it would look more put together while still keeping the coffee table where it was. 

He was happy with the little plan he’d crafted in his head. Too bad he didn’t say anything to Lex.

Instead of the regular model, Lex purchased, had delivered, and assembled in their home the larger L-Shaped sectional… Completely annihilating the outline Slade was expecting to come home to. Lex wanted to keep the living room open, he didn’t want one of the couches to be faced away from the foyer. He wanted one couch facing the TV and one to the left of it. To the right of the couch would be the entryway of the apartment. He wanted to keep the space open, less claustrophobic and more welcoming. So that means there was no place for the old couch…

“Why are you mad I got the sectional?! It’s bigger but still gives the room that spacious feel we wanted!”

“Yeah, but there’s no room for the old couch, Lex! I thought we were gonna keep that one too.” Slade looks towards the front door, the old couch pressed against the wall as out of the way as it could be as they wait for the pickup guys to come. “I feel bad throwing it away…” Slade admits, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand gently as he feels a twinge of shame in chest. 

“Why would you feel bad? It served its purpose and it’s not like the couch feels anything.” Lex waves a hand towards the discarded piece, his callousness on full display as he shows not an ounce of sentimentality.  

“Lex, that was our first couch!” Slade scolds. “You’re seriously not going to miss it?! We had such good times with it!”

“Slade, that couch doesn’t have any memories! The couch does not feel bad about us getting a new one! Why are you projecting human emotions onto a couch?!” Lex asks as he sits up on his elbows, his legs still stretched out on the new one. 

“That’s the first couch I fucked you on! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!” It’s a bold statement, one that borders on being borderline stupid…

“What….?” Lex heard him perfectly clear but he’s hoping Slade will come back with a better excuse rather than just doubling down. 

“That’s where we first had sex! Doesn’t our first time mean anything to you!?” Overly dramatic. He’s clearly trying to pull on Lex’s heartstrings but that’s not going to work, not this time. 

“THE FIRST TIME YOU FUCKED ME WAS IN MY OFFICE!”  

“...Oh…” Slade pauses, his hand to his chin as he thinks, trying to remember if Lex is right and a small wave of embarrassment washes over him when he realizes that Lex is, in fact, correct. 

“Yeah, oh” Lex mimics tauntingly, his voice dropping to emulate Slade’s before he shakes his head. “I can’t believe you thought that was our first time…I should be mad at you for that, you know.” Lex teases, his tone playful before he sees that Slade still looks downtrodden. 

“Still…I-I still feel bad for it. It feels wrong to throw it out.” Slade says apologetically, like he’s pleading with the old couch to not be upset with him over this. 

Lex’s shoulders drop as he rolls his eyes and he pinches the bridge of his nose while he thinks.  He doesn’t want to get rid of this brand new couch he just paid good money for but seeing Slade like this isn’t an option either. There’s no room in any bedroom or office, and it certainly isn’t going in the kitchen…So instead of keeping the couch, Lex offers Slade what he opens would be the next best thing.

“Alright look, we can’t keep the full thing but you can keep a cushion from it. That way you still have a piece of it, isn’t that something?” 

“Three cushions.” Slade demands, his voice strong for the first time this whole conversation. 

Lex scoffs at the attempted negotiation.

“Two. Final offer.” 

“Deal!” 

Lex watches Slade head towards the couch but realizes that he needs to clarify before Slade does something Lex hadn’t thought he needed to specify. 

“You can’t pick the cushion that has the wet spot!” 

“Oh my god, you are such a dream killer!”

“Why would you even want the wet one?! That can’t be hygienic and we are definitely not keeping it!” 

“I want this one because I’m pretty sure this is the one that you always c-” Slade’s sexually charged quip is interrupted by the front door swinging open and their teen running into the living room before announcing his excitement. 

“FUCK YEAH! NEW COUCH!” 

Conner’s booming voice is only matched by his near manic cackling as he runs past Slade and throws himself onto the sofa opposite the entryway, his body thudding roughly against the new addition. 

“Dibs on this side of the couch!” Chucking his jacket off and tossing it onto the last seat on ‘his’ side of the sectional, Conner mimics Lex’s earlier action as he happily splays himself out. An impish grin painting itself across his face as he settles. 

“Why are you so excited about the new couch? I thought you liked the old one like me!” Slade questions, one couch cushion tucked under each of his arms as he walks back towards Lex to sit on the couch, placing the two cushions he’s keeping beside the coffee table for now. 

“I do like the old couch! It’s the one you guys let me crash on before you decided to be good parents and make me a room properly!” Conner laments, his finger pointing at Lex to signify Slade is only guilty by association and proximity for that slight. 

“Does everyone in this family have an overly emotional attachment to this couch but me?! It was my damn couch! I should be the one moaning that it’s leaving!” 

“Wait, it’s leaving?! I thought we were gonna keep it!” Conner finally takes a second to notice that the old couch is away from the seating arrangements and that Slade stripped it of two of its cushions. 

Slade says nothing but looks at Lex with an ‘I told you so’ expression as he gestures to their son. 

“I got the sectional so we would have more couch! It’s nicer! I paid good money for it! We don’t need the old couch! We aren’t keeping the old couch!” Lex’s eyes are narrowed and his lips thin as he has to once again defend his actions—he didn’t think buying a nicer couch was going to turn into such a controversial move but here he is. 

“Why don’t we keep the old couch in my room?!”

“Or we could let it retire to my office at work!”

“WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT TO KEEP THE OLD COUCH!?” 

A back and forth ensues, Conner and Slade on one side while Lex is on the defensive. It all becomes too much for the bespectacled man to deal with so he goes for the kill shot for both of them. 

“Conner, Slade and I fucked on the couch more times than either of us could possibly remember! You still wanna keep it in your room?!” 

…

“EEWWWW!!” Conner protests and feigns a gag as he covers his ears, his overly childish behaviour typically unbecoming but right now, Lex is actually grateful for the immaturity. “I don’t wanna know you two fuck any more than I already do!! That’s so gross!” Conner kicks his legs and shakes his head, trying to send that little nugget of information into the deepest and darkest corner of his memory. 

“And you!” Lex’s words now aimed solely to target Slade with his next blow. “I’ll let you fuck me as much as you want on that couch to make up the difference, how about that?!”

…

“Fucking deal!” Slade wasn’t exactly looking for permission but he’ll take a free pass to be as horny as he likes any day. 

“GROSS!! But not on my side! You keep your gross old person sex on your side of the couch! Not on mine!”

“Oh you absolute little shit, I am not old!” Slade turns on the one person that was on his side about the couch discussion. 

“I mean, you did just get very sentimental about an old couch that wasn’t even yours in the first place…Kind of an old thing to do, Slade.” 

“Oh, don’t you start on that! You’re the one that kept going on and on about how ‘adult’ you feel because you bought a brand new couch that ‘fits the aesthetic’ of the room! You actually used the word ‘aesthetic’. That’s kind of pa-thetic, if you ask me.” Slade crosses his arms over his chest when he’s finished with his retort but there isn’t any malice in his words. 

“It’s a good couch! And it does pull the room together! That’s not me being old! That’s me having taste!” 

“I’ll give you a taste of my balls you keep up that attitude…” The corner of Slade’s mouth upticks as he mutters, his ego only emboldened when he sees Lex blush slightly. 

“God, you’re so vulgar…” Lex tries to stifle his chuckle but it’s in vain. He tries to cover his smile with the back of his hand but that’s also a useless endeavour. 

“YOU TWO ARE SO GROSS!” Conner whines out as he throws a pillow at Slade as some sort of punishment for the transgression. 

Lex only laughs more as the pillow hits Slade with more force than the teen probably intended, the loud thwack somehow echoing in the apartment. Slade returns it, just for Conner to repeat the cycle. 

It’s only after a few minutes when the dust all settles, Slade sitting beside his son on the side of the couch Conner deemed his with his arm draped over the teen’s shoulders. It’s here that Conner finally speaks his mind about something that’s been slightly bugging him. 

“Ya know, I don’t really think the coffee table goes with the new couch…” 

After a moment, Lex’s eyes narrow before he sighs in defeat. 

“Fuck me…” 

“Maybe after we get a new coffee table.” 

Lex can’t help it if by now he’s worn a groove into the floor. His hands clasped behind his back while his eyes are cast downwards as he paces back and forth, his antsy behaviour doing little to calm the man watching him. 

“Lex, honestly man you’re stressing me out more right now than Kon is.” Slade turns his head to the side to take his eye off of Lex, trying to ignore that audible squawk of indignation he hears as he does. Slade’s tone came across overly dull given the circumstances and right now Lex isn’t exactly in the headspace to be a ‘rational’ adult. 

“How could I possibly be more stressing than Kon?! He’s fucking missing, Slade!” Lex’s anxiety is on full display as he stops midstride to turn and look towards Slade. Dark bags stain the underside of his eyes while his messied auburn hair is pushed back hastily, the strands that fall onto his face far too overstimulating to ignore right now. “Our son is missing!!” Lex’s voice cracks but he ignores the slip, subconsciously hoping that he’s going to be soothed by Slade but that’s far from the response he gets.

“I know he’s missing Lex, but the kid is fucking bulletproof! Just two nights ago he flew into a burning building and the only thing that was even singed was his damn jacket!” Slade’s frankness probably came across far harsher than he meant it to but the bodyguard can’t really bring himself to care. His own nerves and exhaustion are weighing down his filter right now. 

“That’s not the point, Slade! I don’t like Conner being out without us and this is the third time he’s snuck off! It’s 4 am and we have no idea where he is!” Lex’s words lower, his next sentence being barely muttered above a whisper, “But I’m not shocked you don’t care…” 

“OH FUCK YOU!” Slamming his fist on the table, Slade kicks his chair out from under himself as he stands up suddenly, a threatening glare now being directed squarely at Lex. He ignores the flinch he sees as he continues. “I DO care about Conner! From day ONE I’ve loved him! He’s my son by any measure and if anybody else had said that to me their brains would be painting these fucking walls!” Slade’s booming voice echoes off the walls and floor-to-ceiliing windows that surround them. 

“Slade, I-” Lex starts but his mouth snaps shut when Slade cuts him off. 

“No! Lex, you woke me up in the middle of the night and told me Kon was missing! We both scoured the city and now we’ve been waiting here in your office to see if your hail mary pays off! I love that kid and I’m not gonna sit here and let you tell me that I don't care about him just because I’m not pissing my pants like you because he’s missing!” Slade runs his hand through his hair as he tries to calm himself. He’s been holding it together so well—in his mind he has anyway—but now he’s about at his breaking point.  “Lex, the little shit threw me through the wall yesterday during training! I-I was so damn proud of him!” Slade’s tired face manages a half smile as a weak chuckle leaves him. “I-I can’t imagine anything bad happening to him but…but I…” Words that barely leave Slade’s lips hang heavily in the air as he tries to find his voice again. 

Lex’s furrowed brows relax and the fist he had clenched at his side releases, his hand trembling as he reaches out towards Slade as if the stark distance between them doesn’t exist. This is the first time since they got to his office that he’s gotten a proper look at Slade’s face and not only is the exhaustion plain to see but so is the sorrow that he’s managed to hide thus far. The storm clouds in the sky had parted just enough for a few stray beams of moonlight to shine into the dark room and illuminate his partner tragically. The view before him is enough to cause Lex’s heart to break for the second time tonight. 

Slade’s shoulders shake lightly, his face buried in his left hand as tries to obscure his worry. Despite the distance between them, Lex can clearly see Slade’s tearstained cheeks through the white fringe that’s shielding the rest of Slade’s face. Lex crosses the room to him, his hand finding Slade’s good arm as tries to gently coax Slade to face him. 

In all his worry for their son, Lex hadn’t realized that he’d actually been relying on Slade’s nonchalantness to carry him through this. Each time Lex would start to spiral about Conner’s unknown location, Slade’s practically rampant indifference would snap Lex out of his worry just enough for him to get annoyed with Slade. That cycle continued until the pair found themselves waiting in Lex’s office while another extraterrestrial force continued the search for them. That left the two of them here with nothing but their worries and fear to fill the air. 

“Slade…” Lex speaks with a quiet voice that’s laced with nothing but concern as he watches Slade. He doesn’t know what to say but what he does know is that he needs Slade to understand that they’re in this together. They are both just two parents waiting with bated breath for their son to return to them. 

“Lex, I’m just so worried about him…I-I know, I know for a fact that he can’t get hurt! But…” Slade’s voice wavers as he sucks in a sharp breath before he continues. “I-I’m so scared…I can’t stand him being out there without us right now.”

“I know…I-I am too. And as much as I hate it…right now it’s out of our hands. It’s in his.” Lex doesn’t even bother trying to hide the disdain that surrounds that final word as he speaks. 

Slade can’t argue. He knows Lex is right. Their son is out doing god knows what in the dark of the night and the two of them can’t do a damn thing about it to bring him back. 

Lex rubs his hand against Slade’s good arm, hoping that any contact might offer even the most miniscule amount of comfort right now. Lex moves to rest his head against Slade’s shoulder, Slade shifting his stance to make it a little easier on the shorter male, while the pair say nothing at all. Slade’s shaking shoulders slowly cease their erratic movements, he turns his head and takes in slow deep breaths as his nose grazes over Lex’s messy auburn hair. 

The lingering scent of Lex’s body wash that doubles as his shampoo dampers Slade’s nerves briefly. He can—even if it’s just for a fleeting moment— close his eye and pretend he’s back home in bed with Lex. Pretend that they’re all safe and sound. Pretend that Conner is simply playing video games in the living room or sleeping in his bedroom.

Lex is doing something similar. As he rests his eyes, he leans more against Slade’s strong frame and he gets a sudden whiff of the laundry detergent that they use. He hadn’t even realized that Slade was still in the clothes he’d worn to bed that night. The dark blue plaid fabric of Slades’ pants had actually looked black in the dark room and the graphic on the old band tee  so faded that Lex can’t even recognize it right now. With his eyes closed, the familiar scent that's tickling his nose and the warmth Slade’s sharing practically lulls him into a false sense of temporary comfort. 

The pair stay frozen as they lie to themselves and to each other. 

They can pretend that everything is fine.

But they both know it’s a lie. 

One that’s broken as a strike of lightning splits across the sky and it’s quickly followed by a loud crack of thunder that rolls atop the dark clouds. Slade slowly opens his eye to look out towards the window, heavy drops of rain hitting the panes of glasses before they roll down, what little light that bleeds in reflecting off of them briefly. Lex only opens his eyes when he hears a soft croak from Slade and feels the aforementioned male’s chest heave as his breath hitches. A lump forming in Lex’s own throat when he turns to look out the window. 

Shillouted against the darkness of the storm clouds that suffocate the night sky are two floating figures. A cape billowing out from behind one of them that catches the treacherous gales of wind that sweep through the city of tomorrow. The edge of the cape swipes upwards behind the two as another bolt of lightning illuminates the sky behind them. Their darkened heads slowly rising to look into the office, two bright crimson circles adorn each of their faces as they focus in on Lex and Slade. 

“Lex…” Slade’s voice is low as he practically whispers into Lex’s ear, somehow the utterance of the short name harbours so much confusion and apprehension. 

Lex, however, has a vastly different reaction to the scene.

Lex breaks from his pose with Slade and rushes towards his desk, practically ripping off one of the drawers as he searches for a remote. His fingers graze the metal of the control before it’s grasped tightly in his hand as he yanks it out of the desk drawer. He presses one of the unlabeled buttons as he points it towards the window. One of the panes at the end of the window slowly retracts into the wall, the wind and rain from the outside find the newly exposed entrance and happily welcome themselves in. Rain pools on the floor at the edge of the wall as the two figures slowly turn their gaze towards the new opening. 

Slade rushes to Lex’s side only for the smaller man to run to the window to yell something out of it. Between Lex’s exhausted state and the roaring storm outside, his horse voice barely reaches the two shadowed beings but it echoes in the office.

“GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE NOW!!” 

The smaller of the two flyers flinches when Lex yells and starts to back away but the larger of the two puts a hand on his back, holding him in grasp as they move towards the window. 

Slade goes and grabs Lex by the back of the shirt, pulling the tired man back in from the opening before he’s either forced out by the strong pulls of the winds or before he simply slips on the water and falls out. 

It’s then that the two men finally enter their topfloor CEO office that Lex and Slade have been occupying for the better part of two hours. 

Conner enters first, his black hair wet as it clings to the side of his head, a weak smile plastered on his face as he looks towards the waiting men. Clark follows close behind him, his large hand wiping his sodden hair out of his face as he lets out a soft shiver. Even if the change in temperature wasn’t exactly uncomfortable for him, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t notice it. Clark takes the briefest moment to look back out the open window before it starts to close, his attention suddenly shifting elsewhere as he hears two panicked voices cry out. 

“Conner!” “Kon!” 

Conner is immediately enveloped in a hug from both men. Lex’s lanky arms wrap around his son’s tall frame as Slade drapes his one good arm over the shoulders. Conner accepts it, his arms coming up to hug Lex back while he reciprocates the slight head nuzzle he’s getting from Slade. Unbothered by the wetness or shrill cold, the pair hold their son tightly. Slade presses a kiss to the side of the teens head, his shoulders once again shaking but this time it’s accompanied by happy tears.

“You better never, ever, do that again! We were so worried about you!” What should have been anger is instead replaced by relief…and that’s absolutely terrifying to the young clone considering it’s coming from Slade. 

“Are you alright?! Are you hurt? What happened? Where were you?! Are you alright?!” Lex is the first to break their embrace. He pulls himself back as he inspects his son. Checking his arms, his face, everything as he looks for any sign of injury Conner could have. But what betrays Lex’s words of worry is the way he asks. His questions are laced with outrage but it seems like he’s managing to keep it down...for now. 

“Dad! Pops! Knock it off! I’m fine!” Conner tries to pull himself from Slade’s still firm hold and Lex’s searching hands and prying eyes. 

Slade reluctantly lets go, pulling back to stand near Lex as he looks Conner over for himself. His amber eye wide, the sides of his face still tear stained from earlier, and his face far too soft for Conner’s liking. Lex on the other hand has his arms crossed over his chest, his grey eyes jumping from place to place on Conner’s body like he’s taking a mental inventory. 

It’s then the realization hits him. 

“OH FUCK NO!” Conner jumps, his body staying in the air as he looks down at the pair, his face eyes wide and his jaw clenched as he watches his fathers. “Clark, take me back!! Slade’s been crying! That’s how I know I’m in deep shit!!” 

“You’re not going anywhere! Conner, feet, floor, now!” Lex points at the ground as he barks out that order, Slade taking the chance to wipe his face quickly before he throws a glare at Clark, practically begging the big blue jackass to do something, not like Slade could do anything about it given his current state but still, it makes him feel better. Clark’s hands shoot up defensively as he softly shakes his head, trying to show he has no intention to do anything.

“Conner, maybe…maybe listen to your…dad?” Clark can’t lie, it sounds very weird to say that aloud. He’s still unsure how he feels about the whole ‘Oh, Superboy is a clone of you that Lex Luthor made using your DNA and his own. And by the way he’s raising the clone as his own son with him and his totally evil not evil boyfriend that’s tried to kill you before.’ but Lex reached out for help when he couldn’t find Conner…And Clark can’t say he doesn’t have affection for the kid and it’s not like Lex would do that lightly. 

Conner sighs softly before he slowly floats down, his wet boots making the softest tap against the floor as he lands. His bright eyes cast towards the floor, his gaze focusing on the small drops of water that fall from his hair as he waits to be berated but it doesn’t happen. He was fully expecting Lex and Slade to start chewing himi out the second he came home. They had to be pissed off if they got Clark involved. 

“Kon, you’re sure you’re alright?” Slade’s words are far too soft for comfort. Conner is used to Slade being the brash one, the overly gentle way he’s speaking is far scarier than if Slade was to just yell at him. 

“Yeah…I’m fine, Pops…” Conner looks up to Slade with a soft smile, trying to elicit any sympathy he can from Lex who he knows is watching him like a hawk right now. 

As he watches from a distance, Clark can’t help but match that smile. It’s actually really reassuring to see Slade of all people be so gentle and caring. Too bad it only lasts for a few seconds. 

Slade slaps the back of Conner’s head with his good side as hard as he can before he yells.

“THEN WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! SNEAKING OUT LIKE THAT, ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!” 

Conner takes the hit like it’s nothing, squawking out as he reaches up to rub the back of his head while he pouts. It didn’t hurt. Everyone there knows it didn’t hurt but like hell if he’s not going to try to gain some semblance of sympathy. Mostly from Clark, which to Conner’s credit, does sort of work. 

“Hey! Slade, come on don’t hit hi-”

“Stay out of this, Kent!” Now it’s Lex’s turn to snip. He reaches up roughly and grabs ahold of one of Conner’s ears, tugging the boy down—well Conner let’s him tug him—just enough to hold some remnant of authority over his kid. 

“AH! Dad! Let go! This is embarrassing!” Conner’s head is ducked lightly but he’s able to turn it just enough to the side to look at Clark for help. “Dad Two, help! See how they treat me?!” 

“DAD TWO?!” Lex and Slade couldn’t have said that in such perfect unison again if they practiced for a hundred years. 

“Come on you two…It-it was a joke! Conner, tell them it was a joke…please!” Despite the strength he could easily have over the two men, Clark does flinch when he sees the new round of death glares coming from Conner’s parents. 

“AHH! DAD! Ear!” Conner begs again and this time Lex does actually let go just so he can point at Clark.

“You!” Lex starts, his arm shakes angrily as he points while his brow furrows as he looks at Clark. A heavy sigh comes from him as his shoulders drop and he brings his hand to face as he rubs his eyes tiredly. “I-I guess…I guess I have to say thank you…You-You did find him…” Lex spits through clenched teeth. 

“I-Oh! Yeah, uh…I-I guess you’re…welcome?” Clark asks as he gently shrugs his shoulder and a nervous smile spreads across his face. 

Lex’s nails dig into his palm as he makes his hands into his fists when he hears Clark’s far too saccharine laugh but he tries to bury his disdain for the man.

“Anyway!” Slade snaps, his eye gives Clark a quick hate filled updown before he looks back to his son. “You are so fucking grounded!” 

“Aww man…” Conner huffs as he pouts, his arms crossing over his chest in a begrudging acceptance. 

Lex watches Slade before giving Conner another quick onceover and then he turns back towards Clark. 

“Where was he and what was he doing?” Lex crosses over to Clark, seemingly uncaring of the size and power difference between them as he demands answers. Answers that apparently Conner doesn’t want them to know.

“NOTHING!” The teen realizes that almost certainly not the tone someone who was doing nothing would use so he clears his throat before he tries again. “I was doing nothing! Just…chilling. I wanted to get some air.” It’s a bold face lie and everyone there knows it.

“You wanted to get some air at like 3 in the morning when it’s storming?” Lex doesn’t even turn back to look at Conner as he asks. 

“We’re putting a fucking tracker in him!” Slade demands, arm up in the air as he yells to the room.

“He already has one! That’s how we knew he was in Gotham but this jackass could get him quicker than we possibly could!” Lex snaps, throwing his thumb back towards Clark who looks mildly hurt at the rudeness.

“I don’t want another tracker!”

“I’m not a jackass…And I-I don’t think you should put a tracker on him! It’s kinda messed up…Just_Just if you’re reading the room about it…” Clark fiddles with the hem of his cape as he speaks, gulping again when Lex glares up at him again. 

“Shut up, Clark.” 

“Why-why did you say my name like it was a slur…?” 

“Because it is one.” Slade says from across the room, his hand now resting on Conner’s shoulder to implore the teen not to try and run away again. 

“Aww, come on guys that’s just kinda mean…” 

“Shut the fuck up, Clark.” 

Clark looks down at Lex like a kicked puppy. He knows Lex doesn’t like him but he genuinely thought that through exposure therapy with him Lex might be just a little less aggressive over time but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“You guys should be nicer to Clark. He’s chill” Conner starts, his eyes looking from Lex’s shocked expression back to Slade’s disgusted one before he finally lands on Clark’s who just gives him a pleasant smile. 

“Aww…Thanks, Conner.” 

“SHUT UP CLARK!” “SHUT IT!” The in sync grievances only earn a sad hrm from Clark and a slight cackle from Conner.

“Everybody knock it off!” Lex demands, stamping his foot on the ground to cry and gather the collective attention of the room back to him. “I still haven’t gotten an answer from Conner. Or you.” Another quick glare is thrown at Clark. “On where exactly he was.” Lex finishes as he turns back to look at Conner who looks surprisingly close to breaking. 

“I was…doing…drugs?” Conner practically asks the room if that’s a good excuse before Slade slaps the back of his head again. 

“Conner!” Clark, believing him for some damn reason, scolds. “You do not need to be doing drugs!” 

“He wasn’t doing fucking drugs, he’s lying! His body composition is resistant to them! They wouldn’t do anything to him even if he was telling the truth!” Slade corrects in such a tone that makes it sound like he’s scolding Clark for not knowing that about his son, even though there would be no way for Clark to know that beforehand. 

“Conner Luthor, why were you in Gotham?” Lex finally turns to look at Conner, his hands clasped behind his back as he walks towards back over to Conner and Slade. Clark floating close behind unintentionally, interested enough in the answer to approach without second guessing if he should be involved in the conversation to begin with. 

“I…God damn, it!” Conner whines, rolling his eyes before he pouts more. 

“Conner, language!” Clark interjects, much to Lex’s chagrin and Slade’s annoyance. 

“Don’t you police my son’s language!” Lex gripes, jumping slightly when he realizes just how close Clark is. 

“Yeah! You fucking asshole!” Slade complains, only to lightly slap the back of Conner’s head again. “But watch your fucking language, Kon.” 

“You swear way worse than me!” 

“Conner, answer the question. Where were you and what were you doing?” Lex demands, his eyes landing on Conner’s face as he’s ready to scan his son’s face for any sign of deceit. 

“I…I was meeting somebody…” 

A collective of ‘Huhs?!’ fill the room as the three adults look at Conner. 

“What do you mean you were meeting someone!? You don’t know people!” Lex’s eyes are wide as he tries to wrap his head around what Conner just admitted to him. 

“Conner, I didn’t think Lex let you go into Gotham to help people…How did you meet somebody in Gotham of all places?” 

“Wait wait, you two dorks are missing context here.” Slade starts, his hand on Conner’s shoulder turning his son to look up at him more. “Conner, what kind of meeting someone was this?” 

The blush that dusts Conner’s cheeks gives it away instantly.

Slade’s expression instantly changes. His concern turns to pure elation. His eye brightens and a wide grin spreads across his face.

“Oh fuck yeah! My boy was getting pussy!!” Slade’s voice practically echoes off the walls as he laughs happily.

“Slade! He’s way too young for that!!” 

“I-I kind of agree with you on this, Lex…” 

“I do not need you to agree with me!” Lex shouts, his eye twitches as he looks at Slade and Conner, unsure of who to be more upset with at this moment. Conner for already seeking…realtionships… or Slade for seemingly condoning it. “Slade!! Stop it! He’s way too young for this sort of thing! He’s not ready for girls!” 

“Fuck that, Lex! Our boy was sneaking out to meet a girl, how can I not be fucking proud?! Just cause you two didn’t get your cherry popped till late college doesn’t mean Conner shouldn’t have fun! God, I’m so fucking proud of you! You better be using condoms, all I’m gonna say. How’d ya meet her, huh?” Slade prattles off excitedly, almost a little too ecstatic that Conner’s already exploring things.

“Slade, Conner shouldn’t have a girlfriend yet!”

“I-I also think it’s way too early.” Clark steps in, trying to get a read on the direction the energy in the room is going to take but failing. 

“Nobody asked you, farm boy!” Slade quips back before he sees the look Lex is giving him. “What, Lexi? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Pretty soon all three adults are going back and forth. Lex argues that it’s too soon for Conner to date anyone but being annoyed that Clark is on his side while Slade is annoyed that neither of them are excited for their son to have found someone. It also doesn’t help that Clark keeps overstepping. Even going so far as to call Conner his ‘sort of son too.’ 

“Slade, he is not ready for a girlfriend!”

“Lex, why are you taking Clark’s side! He doesn’t get a say in our son!”

“Isn’t he kind of mine too…? I mean he has my DNA and he is my clone!”

“That is not the conversation we are having right now! He is our son, Clark! Mine and Slade’s!”

“Yeah! And I say MY SON can have a girlfriend!”

The bickering continues before Conner breaks it with a rousing declaration.

“IT’S NOT A GIRL!!”

…

…

“...FUCK YEAH, MY SON GOT SOME DICK!”