Lenon crept down the hallway. He was late again. He knew he should just get in on time in the first lace but he'd tried that and it didn't work so he inevitably found himself sneaking in first thing in the morning, trying to avoid anyone.
He even had a reason for being out now, other then the usual. Lisa. He had it bad. What made it even worse was that Lex knew. Every time Lenon saw his 'brother', or anyone associated with him, he would jump out of his skin. He knew something had to be coming. Lex never did anything for nothing. Something was going to happen.
But so far it was clear sailing. 3 weeks and not a thing.
Lenon knew better then to let his guard down though. Not that he would anyway, but especially not now. SOMETHING was going on. He just knew it...
His fathers study door opened and the older man stood there, staring at him 'son'. Lenon sighed. It was going to be another one of THOSE nights. Lenon held his head up high and tried to walk past but Lionel moved to block his path.
"Where have you been?" Lionel asked. Lenon didn't reply. He kept staring straight ahead. Lionel sighed.
"You know you can talk to me Lenon," Lenon sighed. He'd heard this speech about 100 times. "I am your father and I am here for you whatever happens, just like I always have been."
"Fine," Lenon interrupted. "I'll talk to you. Now let me past."
"If you would just tell me what's going on."
"What's going on? Right now what's going on is I can't get through to my room."
"You do not want to anger my Lenon. I can..."
Lenon blocked the voice out, trying to control the anger rising up in him. Who was this man? Who was he to think he had any power over Lenon Luther. He was a fucking super man. He could bend steel and outrun a bullet. What the fuck did he need driving privileges for anyway? He could just run wherever he wanted.
He should just kill the bastard now, get it all over with. It would be so easy. So easy. So easy.
It was as if he was moving in slow motion, even thought he knew he was moving at super speed. His hand came up and wrapped around Lionel's throught, then he squeezed.
He relaxed his hand and Lionel fell to the floor, his head almost separated from his neck. Lionel looked down at his hand. It was red. Red. Red with blood. Sticky with blood. He could smell it, feel it. See it.
Slowly he began to shake. He took a hesitant step backwards, still staring at his hand.
What had he done?
He ran, not at superspeed, just a regular human run. He ran to his room and fumbled in the bottom of the closet. The box he sought so badly kept slipping through his blood-soaked grip. He was shaking so badly he teeth were practically chattering. Finally he gave up on the box and just lay on the floor. He knew he should be running but all the adrenaline had fled his body and he didn't think he could do anything other then lay there.
In the back of him mind he heard the door open but he blanked it out. He didn't want to deal. Didn't want to deal with anything. He'd always been careful. Always shown his powers just enough for the situation, never any more then he had to. Now it had all gone to hell. Now he had killed. His fingerprints would be all over Lionel and Lionel's blood was all over him.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and curled in on himself more. No. It wasn't meant to be like this. He was strong. He was powerful. He could bend steel. He didn't curl up on the floor. He didn't loose control. This entire thing just was NOT happening.
"Lenon."
Someone was talking to him. Go away. He just wanted to be alone. Couldn't think. Wanted to think. Wanted to get away.
The voice again. Lenon didn't listen. Didn't want to listen. Hands on his shoulders. Shaking him. Didn't want to move. Didn't want to open his eyes. This wasn't happening.
Slowly he opened his eyes. He didn't want to buy knew he had to if he wanted the shaking to stop. He found himself staring up at Lex.
"Come on," the other boy said, grabbing Lenon's arm and pulling him to his feet.
Lenon could barely think. What was Lex doing? For once Lenon wished he was closer to his brother so he would know that Lex was going to help him. But he wasn't and he didn't. He didn't know what was happening. He just wanted it all to be over.
He was hauled to is feet and pulled through the corridor. At the sight of Lionel lying there, covered in blood, Lenon couldn't help but retch. He had done that. He had killed. He'd never directly killed before. He'd had people killed but he'd never done it himself. Never. He never wanted to do it again either.
Lex was still dragging him. On past the body. Lenon realised this and forced his legs to move, getting away faster. Had to get away. Had to get away from the body. Needed space. Needed air.
Lex was practically holding him up and even his best efforts to put on foot in front of the other were barely resulting in any movement. He lent into the other boy, allowing himself to be guided. It was not as if Lex could get him into any more trouble then he was already in.
Lex shoved him into the lift and he fell to the floor, back against the wall. As the lift descended Lenon hung his head between his knees and began to take deep breaths. He was starting to feel a little better. He finally managed to get his stomach under control so he no longer felt the need to throw up. He looked up at Lex who was lent on the wall besides him.
"What did you do Lenon?" The older boy asked. Lenon lowered his head again. He didn't want to deal. Didn't want to have to face what he'd done. He hadn't done anything. Everything was ok. Her certainly hadn't just killed his father. No sir. Never do anything like that.
He heard Lex sliding down the elevator wall to sit. For once he wished this ride didn't take so long. It had never bothered him before but now it seemed to be taking eternity.
Then Lex scooted around in front of him. Lenon looked up at his brother. He felt so lost. What was he going to do? He would be caught. He would be in so much trouble...
"It doesn't matter Lenon," Lex said, taking his hand. "Doesn't matter how it happened, it's done."
Lenon felt a tear run slowly down his cheek. Damnit, all this time and he broke down now. But once he started he couldn't seem to stop. The tears kept on coming and he just didn't know what to do anymore.
He almost jumped out of his skin when he found himself being pulled into Lex's arms. People had always been hesitant to touch him. It was probably because everyone close to him knew what he was, an alien freak. His friends weren't the touchy feely type. There was plenty of touching, of course, but it was all of the sexual kind. Not like Lex was holding him. The only word that came to mind to describe this touch was tender.
Lenon lent forward and hugged Lex back. He felt safe. It was fucked up. Lex only wanted to hurt him. Everyone always wanted to hurt him. Why was Lex being so nice? Lex could have just left him there to fry but he didn't.
Finally the doors of the lifts opened. Lex slowly helped him to his feet and that moved out. Lex headed straight for his car and for once Lenon found he was to tired to argue with the other boy. He slipped into the passenger seat of the car and relaxed as Lex pulled out of the garage and began to drive away. Soon he fell into a fitful sleep.
~*~*~*~
Lenon woke slowly and groggily. He sat up slowly in bed and looked around. He didn't know where he was. THat worried him. He like to know where he was, like to be in control. But he wasn't in control. He had lost control and now Lex was in control.
Lenon sighed and relaxed back into the bed. He wanted to just go back to sleep and pretend that nothing had ever happened.
But he had to get up. He had to deal. For one thing, he had a date with Lisa tonight. He had no idea how it he was going to make it but he had to. He was just winning her over, he couldn't let her down now...
He heard the door open a crack. He tried to lay still but he couldn't. He rolled over and glared at whoever it was. Lex watched him for a moment then strode in, a grin on his face.
"How are you feeling?" Lex asked.
"Fine," Lenon sneered. He always felt fine. He didn't get sick. Apart from last night...but last night was another one of those things he wasn't going to think about unless he had to. He was just going to close his eyes and pretend last night didn't happen.
Lex threw something at him then left. Lenon lay there for a moment, not wanting to deal, then he rolled over and picked the object Lex had thrown up.
It was a paper. And a giant picture of his father dominated the front. Maybe he wouldn't be able to avoid this. He scan read the article and came to two realisations. The first was that neither he or Lex were implicated with the crime (which should not really have surprised him) and the second was that the killer had already been caught. Lenon wondered exactly what the poor guy had owed Lex of Lex had paid to get him to take the fall. He would probably never know though so worrying about it was energy wasted.
He looked around the room and quickly located a pile of clothes on a chair. He changed into them and went to find Lex.
It didn't take him long to figure out where he was. The castle in Smallville. THe Luther ancestral home that Lionel had shipped over to Smallville piece by piece as a constant reminder of the Luther presence. Lenon had only been in the castle once and couldn't really remember his way around but he still managed to stumble his way to the living room where Lex was waiting.
Lex looked up at him expectantly. Lenon tried to saunter over to the couch and sit down in a dignified manner but his body wasn't complying. He stumbled and would have fallen on his face if Lex hadn't been there to catch him. THat was twice in as many days he'd needed Lex to catch him when he'd fallen. Not a good track record.
Lex helped Lenon over to the couch, then sat beside him.
"Take it you're not feeling well. What happened yesterday?"
Good question. Lenon tried to remember but his memory wasn't co-operating. It had been normal. THe same conversation had happened a million times. Even the anger wasn't new. But normally he could control it.
"I lost control," he told Lex softly. The older boy didn't push it. Lenon was grateful. He needed to sort it out for himself before he tried to explain it to Lex. And he would have to explain it to Lex.
"Are we going back to the city?"
"Why the big rush?"
Should he tell Lex? He knew that his older brother was aware of his crush in Lisa but he still didn't want to speak about it more then he had to. She was still something of a failure where Lex was concerned.
"Going out with Lisa tonight?"
Lenon looked up suspiciously but Lex seemed honest enough.
"Yes, actually," Lenon said. Lex smiled softly.
"Then we'll be back by then. Wouldn't want you to miss your chance."
Lenon sat there in silence. He was really never going to figure Lex out. All these years of hatred and now Lex was finally acting like his big brother. He didn't know what to think of it. So he didn't. He pushed it to that corner of his mind he reserved for things he should never think about and concentrated on getting through the rest of the day.
*~*~*
He drove up outside the restaurant where he had agreed to meet Lisa late. It had taken longer then anyone had anticipated to get back into Metropolis. The entire city seemed to want to crows round their building. Everyone had hated Lionel while he was alive but now he was nothing more then a memory no-one had anything but nice things to say about him. Everyone seemed to want to lay flowers, and have their pictures taken doing it. Everyone from movie stars to business rivals were taking pictures and the entire crowd was practically buzzing, waiting for the news of who Lionel had left everything to.
It had taken him 3 hours to drive in then a further hour to get a clean sweater. Then the fight to get back to the car had taken longer then he could ever have imagined as the press swarmed over him, trying to interview him.
Did they know Lenon didn't really care about his fathers death or were they all just uncaring? It was hard to know. He didn't want to know. He didn't care. He just wanted to see Lisa.
When he drew up she was already there, waiting on the pavement. She glared at him as he climbed out of the car.
"Lenon Luther!" she exclaimed. "I know you're having hard times but you're two hours late. You could have called."
"I'm sorry," he said. She didn't know how hard it was for him to say that. Lenon Luther had been brought up never to apologise. Now he found himself apologising for thing over which he had no control and it grated on his nerves but he didn't complain about it.
"Why didn't you call?"
"You wouldn't believe how busy it was," Lenon tried to explain. "It was crazy. Everyone was rushing about and I could barely move. I was out of town when I heard so I had to come into Metropolis which took forever then I got caught up in security checks and funeral preparations. I tried to get here on time but..." he had to stop briefly for breath. When he did she reached out and wrapped her arms around him.
"It's ok," she whispered. "I'm sorry I got mad. I should have known. You're important. I should have been more sensitive. Shouldn't Lex be taking care of the funeral?"
"He is," Lenon said softly. "But I still need to help. It's a big thing. There are so many people to invite and preparations to make and no-one will stop trying to ask me how I feel or how I'm coping. THey don't seem to understand I'd be coping a lot better if they would just leave me alone."
THey fell into silence. She gently stroked his back and he slipped his arms around her waist. His mind quickly called up his embrace with Lex in the elevator last night. That had been like this, only different. Like Lex really knew and cared and Lisa couldn't possibly understand.
"You want to go in?" he asked gesturing at the restaurant.
"I already ate," she said, blushing. "I got hungry."
"It's ok," Lenon said softly. "We can do something else."
"Are you sure? Lenon, I'm worried about you. You should be with your family now. If you need some time without me I'll understand perfectly."
"It's ok," he said softly. "I'm ok. Just give me a little time and everything will be good again."
She smiled and kissed him, then they wandered of in search of something else to do.
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