Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rumors pertaining to the Mermaid of Metropolis started at the beach where members of Luthorcorp were stationed, about 10 miles away from Luthorcorp proper. Reports would cross Lex’s desk about some beautiful creature appearing in the water, though those reports never came with pictures, or any other means to verify their claims. All just hearsay and speculation. When Lex read the reports, he believed his employees were shirking their duties and blaming their failures on some ephemeral phantom. After receiving enough reports to create a veritable stack on his desk, Lex reprimanded the offending parties and demanded no further mentions of the spectre.

Lex was, however, unable to forget about the creature. Its presence was unspoken, but undeniably still out there. His employees would chatter about it, but shift or outright stop their conversations when Lex appeared in earshot. When Lex visited the beach, his employees would try to subtly move him away from the water. It was patently obvious they still believed in its existence.

His own investigation, namely stealing a few glances to look at the water, came up with nothing. If something was out there, it didn’t show up for him. Perhaps it wasn’t the right circumstances. The reports he received were often about encounters when the beach was nearly empty, save for one of his employees, and the spectre in the water.

Regardless, the natural conclusion to come to was that something needed to be done. The creature was becoming a distraction, no doubt cutting into productivity. But more than anything, its existence simply irked Lex. It was like a fishbone caught in his throat. Maybe the whole phenomenon would pass, but Lex was the kind of man to ensure success himself. He wouldn’t simply hope for things to change.

To find the creature and capture it— or even outright kill it— both were ideas Lex had considered, but he ultimately decided on being thorough. He would still find the thing, but he also wanted to tag it with a tracking device. Study it, determine its intentions, and then perhaps kill it. Assuming the creature truly existed, of course.

The tag Lex made for the creature was made out of a recently discovered material called kryptonite. It didn’t exist naturally on Earth, but traces of the stuff weren’t actually that difficult to acquire. Easy for Lex, at least.

Kryptonite went through various tests at Luthorcorp, and was found to be quite resilient. As for Lex, he happened to like the color. It was a deep green, and glowed faintly. The sample used was a beautiful gem about the size of a marble. It was incorporated into the tag, which was fashioned to look like a pin or earring. If the mermaid was as beautiful as reports claimed, the tag wouldn’t end up looking garish on it.

All that to say, Lex held the tag in one hand, firmly between two fingers. He rolled it around, amused at how the sunlight glinted off the stone. In his other hand were his shoes. He had taken them off, opting to walk the beach barefooted, though the rest of him remained well dressed. He had on dark slacks with a matching waistcoat and tie, along with a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

The evening sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, fiery oranges in the sky being traded in for a deep purple. A light breeze would occasionally drift by, but the beach itself remained warm. It was quiet, the only noises he could hear aside from the waves were the sounds of his footsteps. Lex was alone. There would be no interruptions; he would either find the creature, or return to civilization unsuccessful.

Perhaps it was a task he should’ve delegated to somebody else, but something deep inside Lex demanded he search for the creature himself.

Based on reports, which he had nearly memorized at that point, Lex was quite aware how the thing looked. Big and blue were two words that came up most often. Beautiful, and other descriptive words that indicated its attractiveness came up less often, but frequent enough that Lex decided it was probably accurate. The word fast was used a few times as well. Faster than a speeding bullet; the implication that one of his employees attempted to shoot at it not going unnoticed by Lex.

As for his own investigation, Lex could hardly say much about it.The ocean seemed to be as barren as the beach was. The ebb and flow of the tide washed up nothing onto the shore. The section of the beach he walked was fairly flat, allowing for a similarly barren view. Lex knew finding a spectre would be near impossible, so it was an expected, albeit disappointing, sight.

He continued to walk the beach’s shoreline, moving further away from where Luthorcorp employees set up camp. The spot on the beach was chosen because of its flat terrain, but now it seemed like a detriment. Of course a creature wouldn’t show up somewhere it couldn’t hide. Even fairytale creatures needed shelter.

The terrain changed the farther he walked away from the tents, at least. There was a slight incline which ultimately led to the top of a cliff. The ground became more rough, and the few rocks jutted out of the land around him. It was a nice spot that overlooked the water. If he had no objective, the cliff he found himself on would make a great spot to look at stars. He was far enough away from Metropolis that light pollution wasn’t an issue, and a whole gaggle of stars were speckling the sky.

Still, Lex was, in fact, standing on top of a cliff. It's not like he could walk any further. He stepped down, careful not to cut himself on one of the rocks.

Lex had brought girlfriends to the beach in the past. What did they like about it? Something about how it felt. They liked the water, he vaguely recalled. Swimming didn’t sound ideal. Certainly, a mermaid would most likely be in the water, but he wasn’t dressed for it. But maybe his past girlfriends were onto something.

With a sigh, Lex tossed his shoes to the side and rolled his pant legs up to the knees. He carefully entered the water, determined to walk around the cliff. The water wasn’t too deep, but the land beneath him was uneven. It felt slippery, like a combination of rocks and seaweed. But more than anything, it felt empty.

It was as if he entered a pocket dimension. All Lex had really done that evening was look around, take in the atmosphere, and listen to water’s movement. No, that wasn’t quite true. There was one other thing he could try, to go from passively looking around to actively seeking it out.

“Hello?” Lex called, feeling a bit ridiculous. What he was looking for was nothing more than a rumor. It didn’t exist. He was squandering his free time, shouting at nothing.

What a wasted effort it felt like. He may as well start making demands like ‘come out or I’ll pollute the waters,’ or something to that effect. Not that it’d make a difference. Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and whispered “Really, what am I doing here?”

Unsuccessful. That was the only way he could describe it. Lex turned around, and began walking back to the shore, but tripped after making a few steps.

Irritating. That was his amended opinion. Now his clothes were all wet, and he could feel it cling to his body. His back suddenly hurt, too. Whatever he tripped on, be it seaweed or what else, he decided he was going to take it with him and burn it.

He stood up, stumbling a bit, and looked down at what was beneath him. What he had tripped on was a groggy, shirtless being beneath him. If Lex wasn’t aware of the rumors, he may have initially thought a man had fallen from the cliff and knocked himself unconscious, but he knew better. The moonlight revealed that what Lex was looking at wasn’t a man at all.

In the water was the Mermaid of Metropolis. Their upper half looked human enough, but everything below the torso was fish. A long, blue tail curled out beneath him, glistening in the moonlight. It was around two yards in length, and didn’t have a single blemish on it. Nothing on the creature looked like an injury for that matter. And yet, its face looked a bit scrunched up, like how a human would express pain.

Lex knelt beside his tripping hazard, suddenly aware that both his hands were empty. He had dropped the tag when he tripped! Lex groped around, becoming increasingly more aware of the significance of his discovery. It was temporarily stunned, he decided. Lex needed to act fast. Quickly, he looked for anything glowing green in his immediate vicinity, finding the tag just to the side of the creature’s tail. He picked up the tag, an action then followed by touching the creature. Lex was overcome with academic curiosity. He had to examine it.

In response to his touch, the creature started to laugh, presumably. It could’ve been wheezing, but it also could’ve been ticklish, or even laughing at Lex, maybe.

“Stop that,” said Lex, pulling his hand off, having turned away from the creature. The thing’s scales were smooth.

“Are you… alright?” went the creature. Evidently, it was capable of speech.

“Of course I am,” Lex responded. “A spill like that isn’t going to do me in.”

“Oh, good.”

The creature seemed to be straining itself as it forced a smile. It spoke slowly, and it appeared to have trouble moving.

“I take it you’re not well yourself.”

“I’ve never felt like this before,” it answered.

“Hm. I’m sure you’ll get over it soon enough,” said Lex. A thought occurred to him then, he had nearly forgotten his objective. He wasn’t there to socialize with the creature at all.

Lex sat on top of the creature and leaned forward, locking eyes with it. The thing’s eyes were a sharp shade of blue. Even obscured in the darkness, the damned thing looked blue.

“W-what?” it breathed.

“Nothing, don’t worry about me,” said Lex.

He brought his hand to the creature’s cheek and traced along its chin with its finger. The creature’s face looked incredibly human. It had a black mop of wavy hair, and its smile indicated it had teeth like a human’s. Either way, once his finger reached the creature’s ear, Lex quickly pierced the skin with the tag and firmly secured it into place. The creature flinched, and a short whimper escaped from its lips.

“I didn’t—”

“You’re fine,” Lex answered.

Lex leaned back as he pulled out his phone from his breast pocket. The surface was a bit wet, but it worked just the same. He turned it on, confirming that the tracking device worked. On the center of his phone screen was a pale blue dot, blinking at their present location. At the bottom of the screen were their coordinates.

The creature tried to weakly scratch at its ear, but Lex put a stop to it. He grabbed its hand, briefly noting how much larger it was compared to its own, before interlocking their fingers. Its hand had more webbing than a human’s, Lex also noticed.

“It’s alright,” Lex purred, putting his phone away. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“No?”

“Consider my gift a sign of my protection. People have already tried to kill you, have they not?”

“What are you planning?” it softly asked.

“That’s—” began Lex, separating their hands and standing up again. What was his plan? Study the thing? He didn’t need to answer it, regardless. “Confidential.”

The creature sat itself up and looked at Lex. It seemed to be fascinated by Lex, even attempting to grab him. Lex took a step back, so the creature’s arm never reached him, instead returning to its side. It looked away for a moment, before looking back up at Lex. “You’ll be back?”

It was a question, but to Lex it sounded more like a request.

“If I have the time,” Lex answered.

Chapter Text

Lex didn’t have a lot of free time, past lovers could attest to that. Most of the time, as was the case in the present situation, Lex was at Luthorcorp. He sat in his office, leaned back in his chair, talking on the phone to one of his investors. It was a dull conversation, and his focus drifted towards the window. It was foolish of him, and Lex understood that. And yet, his attention was brought to the water in the distance all the same.

For the nonce, Lex accepted he could only observe the creature from a distance, but a tracking tag was merely a stop-gap measure. Lex watched the pale blue dot on his phone screen, imagining the Mermaid of Metropolis in its place. He could see the outline of the creature in his mind. When his eyes would eventually trail down, his gaze would fall on its present coordinates. He checked the coordinates on a consistent schedule, even writing down its movements. Naturally, it didn’t take Lex to notice a pattern. It moved around during the day, occasionally. Active hours peaked around noon. Otherwise, it barely moved. At night, it rested by that cliffside.

“If you would like to discuss this further, I encourage you to schedule another meeting,” said Lex, ending the phone call. A sudden stroke of genius. The solution was that simple.

He decided to take his evening off sight. One of his loyal employees was planning to treat him to dinner that night, but they’d have to wait. Besides, Lex was certain they’d understand. Everyone at Luthorcorp was cooperative.

Getting to the beach was once more, exceedingly simple. Like before, Lex left Luthorcorp just before sunset. He drove there, though he did humor the idea of commandeering one of Luthorcorp’s helicopters. Since he had the creature’s coordinates, finding it was easy. He needed only to retrace his steps before finding the cliff. Lex had it boiled down to a science.

That was, of course, with the exception of wearing the proper outfit. Again, Lex’s clothes remained unsuited for an impromptu visit to the beach. An oversight caused by his own restlessness. He tossed off a black suit jacket and removed his shoes, rolling up his pant legs as he did before.

As Lex walked towards where he last left the creature, a splash of water was flung towards his direction. He attempted to dodge, but was unsuccessful. Lex was half-drenched. The creature had splashed him with its tail, a weak attempt at violence. Annoying nonetheless.

“What was that for?” Lex asked.

“Don’t get any closer,” the creature quietly responded.

It tried moving away from Lex, weakly pulling itself towards the cliffside instead of even attempting to swim. It made its way over there, slowly, obscuring its feature in the shadows the cliff cast. The moon was less generous with its light, too, so all Lex could notice was how its eyes faintly glowed.

“I told you I’d return,” said Lex, before mumbling “I didn’t figure you to be so unsociable."

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s nice to see you again, too. Was your splashing me some kind of greeting?” asked Lex, suddenly wanting to tease the creature.

“It was defensive. I didn’t want you coming close.”

Naturally, Lex took a step closer. “Sure it was.”

“I mean it,” it said, raising its tail above the water. The tail didn’t seem to glisten in the moonlight as it did before, though part of Lex wondered if he had overembellished his memory of how it looked.

“Easy now. You shouldn’t be so hostile,” said Lex, holding his hands up. “I gave you a gift, remember? And I haven’t shot at you or anything.”

“But—”

“Hm?” Lex blinked.

“I guess that’s right,” the creature grumbled.

“See, we’re friends. You can even call me Lex. Do you have a name, or do you prefer being called the Mermaid of Metropolis,” he asked, before quietly adding “A terrible name, really, if that’s the case.”

The creature squinted at him, presumably suspicious of Lex’s intentions. A useless effort, since Lex himself wasn’t scheming anything. He’d certainly be happy to scheme, but Lex couldn’t think of any strategic advantage of becoming friends with a mermaid. If there was an emotion driving him, it was curiosity. Yes, Lex desired to know more about the creature. Academic curiosity.

“...It’s Clark.”

“An awfully human sounding name.”

“Were you expecting something different?”

“Did a human give you that name?” asked Lex, brandishing his academic curiosity once more.

“Can’t say.”

“How come you don’t want me approaching you, Clark?” he asked, taking another step closer. The name felt strange to say. It seemed comically unsuited for the creature.

For its part, Clark did not immediately respond. Instead, it lowered its tail back into the water. It splashed into the water with an unenthusiastic thump. Clark looked down at itself, before returning its attention to Lex.

“Can’t say,” said Clark. A disappointing, practiced answer. Not one that could deter Lex, however.

“Then let me guess. You’re injured, aren’t you.”

“Why are you interrogating me?” Clark responded, continuing its streak of being uncooperative.

“Interrogation is a terrible description to refer to this as. I think of it more as a conversation between friends.”

“That’s not how friends talk to each other.”

“It’s not?” The people at Luthorcorp were much more receptive to Lex than Clark was.

“It’s not!” Clark retorted, before suddenly coughing.

Lex used its sudden moment of weakness to close the distance between them. Clark attempted to raise its tail again, but it was too weak to splash Lex. The creature lacked the ability to put up even the semblance of a front.

“Stop it,” Clark stammered out.

“Can’t I show concern? Are you alright?” asked Lex, repeating a question Clark had asked him before. And yet, from his lips, the words felt foreign.

Though it was only the second time Lex had seen Clark up close, he was certain that things were different. Significantly worse, Lex noted. It appeared to be wilting. The creature’s tail was a duller shade of blue, and there were dark streaks of something running across the skin.

“You’re sick,” said Lex, which in turn caused Clark to grimace. “And you’d said you’ve never felt like this before?”

“I haven’t,” Clark answered, sounding defeated.

Clark had been injured for days, then. Since they first met, at least. All that time, Clark had been left in a vulnerable state. At that rate, be it the mysterious illness, or someone with a gun, it wouldn’t be long before they died.

A thought occurred to Lex, then. Namely, what difference did it make? He didn’t know a thing about mermaids. He didn’t even care about mermaids. Lex could walk away and feel nothing. End the encounter there. It was a thought Lex ignored. Call it the result of a sunk cost fallacy, but Lex wanted to do more.

“You should come with me,” Lex insisted, internally refusing to even speak about it as a question. It was a decision.

As to where he’d take Clark, Lex had an idea. Luthorcorp was home to a number of great scientists, studying such things as cloning or inter-dimensional travel. They did not, however, study pseudo-marine life. Nor did Luthorcorp have any rooms for hosting marine life immediately available. Sure, a room could be converted and a tank could be acquired, but Lex had a better idea.

Lex picked up Clark— or rather, Lex attempted to pick up Clark. The creature was significantly larger than he was. Though Lex loathed to admit it, if their situations were reversed, Clark would have no trouble carrying him. Probably strong enough to get to Luthorcorp, too, somehow. Clark had muscle that Lex simply did not.

“What are you trying to do?” Clark asked, not entirely unreceptive to Lex’s attempt. It didn’t push him away, at least.

“Can’t you see? I’d like to call this helping,” said Lex, getting annoyed.

“Oh,” went Clark, who suddenly looked embarrassed. Evidently, Clark must’ve realized how uncooperative they were being. Or perhaps it was blushing in response to receiving Lex’s assistance. Either way, Clark turned away from Lex, looking up at the sky before continuing. “Wait for the sun.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I feel better in sunlight,” Clark answered.

“Sunrise won’t be for a few hours, though,” Lex responded. That said, he didn’t have much choice in the matter. “Alright, fine. I'll at least bring my car closer.”

“Wait!” Clark exclaimed, grabbing Lex’s arm just as he was about to pull away.

“What?” Lex nearly snapped.

“You’ll come back?” asked Clark, using an oddly sweet voice. Suspicious of Lex’s intentions, no doubt.

“Of course I will. It’s foolish to even ask.”

Finally, Lex took a step back, removing Clark from his personal space. He had gotten closer to the creature than he realized, even leaning in to better listen to it speak. Moreover, Clark was close enough to grab his arm. Strangely, Lex didn’t mind.

Lex placed a hand on where Clark had grabbed him as he walked towards the car. The warmth of Clark’s touch was gone, replaced by Lex’s own fingers. He was cold. Realizing that, he rushed to his car, cursing himself for not bringing along a second set of clothes.

He returned with the car a few minutes later. As expected, Clark remained where they were, turning their head and faintly smiling once they noticed Lex’s approach. Lex thought for sure Clark would be unconscious when he returned, so he felt impressed they'd been able to stay awake.

Once more, Lex moved to be next to Clark. The water remained an annoyance, but he could study Clark’s condition, if nothing else.

It was a strange feeling, to be waiting for sunrise with someone else. One would expect it to be boring, but Lex found himself oddly exciting, even if he did end up drifting asleep at some point.

In the morning, Lex drove Clark to his home. Not to Luthorcorp: home of many scientists, but to Lex’s own home. Not even past lovers acquired that privilege so soon. Although, unlike those past lovers, Lex had to make a conscious effort not to lead Clark to the bedroom. Instead, Clark unceremoniously took up residence within a tub in the guest bathroom. The bathroom had been unused by anyone for a while, but not so neglected that it would have a layer of dust over everything.

Not that it was perfect for his new, likely temporary, housemate.

Clark’s large frame only continued to be a detriment, the tub being far too cramped to fit everything. Their tail dangled off the side, which inevitably brushed up against Lex. The damned bathroom was tiny, and Lex couldn’t exactly move someplace else to kneel beside Clark. That tail would rub against his back and tickle Lex constantly, and Lex himself was uncertain if Clark was doing it intentionally or not.

Lex glared at Clark, but they only responded by flashing a wimpy half-smile. Compared to the moonlight, Clark wasn’t able to hid anything In the bathroom’s fluorescent light. It took most of their energy to even get into Lex’s home, so Clark looked half-asleep. Half-dead, even. Regardless, Lex decided to start with the tail, just to get it out of the way.

Of course, Lex seldom thought about fish tails. It wasn’t his area of interest, so it wasn’t as if he could identify any issues by eye. Instead, Lex operated based of touch. If Clark reacted, that would be an indicator of something.

Beginning with the caudal fin, or the tail fin, he softly slid a finger along the forked edge and tugged at it once he reached the edge. It felt papery, but durable. It didn’t rip when Lex applied pressure. Clark didn’t react to that, but he was aware that Clark was watching him closely. Clark had a strange amount of trust placed into him. They’d often act uncooperative, but still went along with Lex just the same. Maybe they were enjoying it?

The next fin he studied was a pelvic fin, which made Clark tense up. Not from pain, but the scales around it seemed to be a sensitive spot. Lex didn’t think Clark was so weak as to be unresponsive, so he decided to wring a response out of them. Testing a hypothesis, Lex placed a hand on Clark and dragged it down their scales. Though they looked a bit dried out, it didn’t feel rough at all. It was a pleasant sensation, and felt smooth.

“Not there,” Clark breathed. Humorously, they started to squirm.

Naturally, Lex continued his examination undeterred. He watched as Clark’s face became flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and, presumably, enjoyment. The tail was ticklish, Lex noted.

His perverted inquiry moved upwards towards Clark’s torso. That motion was immediately followed by the realization that Lex had, in fact, momentarily forgotten the task at hand. He was supposed to be examining Clark. Research! He stared at Clark’s chest, noting how sculpted the other looked in spite of their skin’s appearance. The dark streaks that trailed around Clark’s body looked like it sprouted from something. They weren’t placed randomly. Lex’s initial assumption was that it would come from the heart, but it actually appeared to be coming from further up.

On the face, coming from Clark’s ear, specifically. Lex was a smart man, he understood what that meant implicitly. His little gift was poisoning Clark.

He must’ve been staring too intensely at Clark, since they let out a small “What?”

Of all the things! Lex didn’t know if he should laugh or curse himself. There were a number of things he wanted to say, but Lex kept himself quiet. In lieu of speaking, he opted to get in the tub with Clark, straddling them, much to their confusion.

“Lex,” went Clark, sending a shiver down the man’s spine.

Quickly, but also delicately, Lex removed the tag from Clark’s ear. He didn’t need it any longer. If Lex wanted to know where Clark was, he needed only to poke his head into the guest bathroom. He could even set up a camera, and track Clark from anywhere in the world.

“Lex?” Clark repeated, now uselessly concerned.

“I know what I'm doing,” Lex answered. Clark was looking up at him, but he offered no further reassurance. He pulled himself away, questioning what he should do with the tag.

Make distance between them. Put it somewhere far away, that’d be a start.

Chapter Text

Sunlight had a positive effect on Clark’s recovery, Lex noted. Even obscured through the bathroom’s frosted window, when sunlight was available, Clark positively glowed. The image of a potted plant came to mind. That didn’t mean Lex regarded Clark as nothing more than a delicate flower, though. He was… a houseguest.

When hosting someone, it was important to provide certain things for them; namely food, but other types of enrichment were important to keep in mind as well. Since Clark was effectively delegated to the guest bathroom, Lex realized that he was, in a way, Clark’s only source of enrichment. Food happened to be something difficult to provide.

Not in the sense that Lex didn’t have any food, far from it. Food was abundant. What was an issue was that Lex realized Clark apparently didn’t need to eat. But it wasn’t as if he had no interest in food. On occasions when Lex would bring food to him, he’d eat it. Lex took pleasure in seeing how Clark would react to new foods. Notably, Clark had a sweet tooth. Liked doughnuts, for example.

That evening, Lex brought home a black plastic container, gifted to him by one of his employees. He opened it, though his attention was on Clark’s face.

“It’s a pie!” Clark beamed, deep blue eyes glistening like the water he was plucked out of. Evidently, it wasn’t his first pie.

“You like them?” Lex asked, his response a bit flat.

He felt disappointed learning that Clark knew about pies. It was childish to think so, but part of him had hoped Lex would be Clark’s source for everything. His first for everything. That aside, he passed the container to Clark. It contained a single slice of apple pie, so overstuffed the filling was oozing out the sides.

“Gosh, of course I do.”

“That’s good, then,” said Lex. His words didn’t match how he felt. He took a step back and sat on the countertop behind him, gaze falling down on Clark.

Clark joyfully went about eating the pie. Each bite was thoughtful, making sure not to cause a mess. Oddly cute.

“Did someone make you a pie before?” asked Lex.

“Mmph?” Clark responded, not wanting to talk with his mouth full.

“Oh, nevermind.”

“I like your pie,” said Clark.

“I didn’t make it.”

“I’m still happy you gave it to me.”

Lex only nodded in response, and Clark continued eating. Part of him wanted to respond by telling Clark to shut up, but that would only encourage him. Clark clearly wasn’t going to give up until he was certain Lex knew he appreciated him. Not with a simple thank you, but with a sappy sentimentality that came natural to him.

When Clark was done eating, he handed the container back to Lex, who placed it on the counter beside him. Then, Lex took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and handed it to Clark.

“What’s this for,” Clark asked.

“Your face.”

“You’ll have to get it for me,” Clark cheekily responded.

“There are mirrors you can use,” Lex grumbled. All the same, he hopped off the counter and knelt beside Clark. When Clark was weaker, Lex didn’t mind offering his assistance. Even now, Lex found it difficult to stay annoyed with him. “...And don’t say ‘the reflection in your eyes in the best mirror.’”

“But it’s true!”

“It’s not,” said Lex, wiping the syrup on Clark’s cheek.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Really, how do you keep yourself so clean?” It wasn’t as if Lex waited on him all the time.

“I bathe just like anyone else would,” said Clark. He answered as if it was obvious. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I can demonstrate.”

“Right this moment?”

“Sure, get in.”

Lex shot a look at Clark, one which was full of doubt. His offer sounded incredibly dubious; and yet, Clark remained appearing as earnest as ever. Moreover, Clark began to shift around in the tub, moving his tail out of the way and dangling most of it off the edge, displacing a lot of water while also creating a spot in the tub for Lex to sit.

No snarky comment came to Lex. If Clark was bluffing, Lex was going to call him on it. He began to undress, not wanting to get another set of clothes wet.

He tugged at his tie, pulling the knot undone and smoothly slid it off. Lex then unbuttoned his waistcoat. Stealing a glance at Clark, Lex noticed that he was, obviously, watching.

“Did you want to undress me,” Lex teased. Clark responded by shaking his head ‘no,’ much to Lex’s dismay.

Lex didn’t complain, however. He continued undressing with the grace expected of someone of Lex’s stature. He moved slowly, forcing Clark to savor every delicate motion he made, building expectations. Once Lex had slipped out of everything, he cautiously sat down next to Clark. Warm water splashed against his skin, and any extra dripped off the side of the tub.

When he sat down, Lex was at the other end of the tub, but the distance was too far for Clark. He used his tail to pull Lex closer. It was like being swaddled, having both Clark’s chest and tail pushed against him.

“Relax,” whispered Clark.

Lex’s body had tensed up without him realizing it. A strange reaction, given what he was feeling wasn’t something displeasurable. He exhaled, almost melting into Clark’s embrace. It had been a long time since Lex had felt such warmth. Maybe he hadn’t ever felt so warm before.

Clark began to wash Lex. It was an unexpectedly normal, human way to bathe. He massaged soap onto Lex’s skin, taking great care at places Lex had complained about aching before. Clark was being cheeky about it, too. He made a few attempts to tickle Lex, just as he had done to Clark before.

Having Clark’s hands over him felt good. For a single moment, all Lex could feel was assurance, and his anxieties were being washed away. Those same anxieties came flooding back when Clark asked him a question, though.

“What happens when I’ve completely recovered?”

There it was. Watching Ckark recover had its own amusements. That said, any pleasure Lex received from it was followed by the sobering realization that Clark wasn’t going to stay there forever. After all, why would anyone choose to stay confined to a small enclosure?

“You’ll leave,” Lex answered.

Yes, Clark was definitely going to leave him. Lex wasn’t going to shy away from that fact. After all, wasn’t that his original intention? Lex wanted the Mermaid of Metropolis to vanish.

“Is that…” Clark trailed off.

“I’m sure you’ll do a hell of a lot better out there than in here,” Lex answered.

“Oh, right,” responded Clark, who continued to wash Lex.

Lex returned Clark to the water after a few more days confirmed to his guest bathroom. It was an unceremonious return, but one that did nothing to help with the nagging feeling Lex had felt since the beginning. Putting stuff far enough away where it no longer affected him, such as that tag, usually helped; Clark’s removal had only made the feeling worse.

He had described it as a fishbone caught in his throat before. Now, it felt embedded within him, and had permeated Lex’s very being and cut him to the quick.

Regardless, Lex carried on. No reports about the Mermaid of Metropolis crossed his desk, just had he had asked for. Luthorcorp continued on a successful streak. Things were normal. Dull.

When a request to visit his employees stationed on the shore reached Lex, he wondered the merits of even going there. That damn feeling in his chest would only be made worse. Besides, whatever his employees wanted to relay could just as easily be a phone call.

And yet, Lex went.

Lex sat through his employee’s explanations and demonstrations. He went on a short tour where his employees showed off their workspaces, even though Lex hadn’t expressed any interest. Someone offered to buy him dinner, but Lex refused. Likewise, Lex refused when someone else offered to walk him back to his car.

Instead, he turned toward the shore and moved as he so desired.

Meeting Clark made him weak. He was a distraction, ruining his ability to do more. Despite that, Lex’s walk broke into a sprint once he was sure no one was watching him. Anyone else seeing him would’ve been an even greater distraction. One much more irritating.

He ran across the sand, paying little mind where he was stepping. He’d stumble and nearly trip, but Lex kept moving forward. Any injuries, he decided, he’d blame on Clark. The beach wasn’t warm at all, and his entire body felt frigid, like he was running through snow. But the more he ran on, the more his body burned.

Lex eventually arrived at the spot where they met. He had stalked the location on his phone so much that he was near certain he was at the exact coordinates, even without looking. As for if anyone else was around those selfsame coordinates, the answer was no.

“How disappointing,” Lex commented. Not having anything better to do except turn around, Lex cussed out “I shouldn’t have expected anything.”

That caused a difference. With a sudden splash sprouting from the water, Clark appeared. His broad silhouette completely took up Lex’s field of vision.

“Where were you?” Lex asked. He was surprised, but his words came out calmly.

“Already starting with an interrogation?” replied Clark, teasing him.

“It’s in my nature.”

“I swear, there’s no man more difficult than you.”

“You’ll get used to it. Everyone else does.”

Clark let out a laugh, though his expression shifted into something serious a moment later. “Are you going to visit me more often now?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Lex, suddenly feeling bashful. After everything he’d done to Clark it was difficult to vocalize his true feelings.

“That won’t do!” Clark exclaimed. A beat passed, and suddenly Clark pounced on top of Lex, sending the pair into the water. Clark pressed against Lex and continued. “I’ve been waiting for you, I was lonely.”

Lex felt the same. The realization came to him like a lid being removed, and everything just… overflowed. Too stubborn to use words, he pushed against Clark, sending him on his back. Lex leaned against him, not allowing Clark to move.

Plans were already being formed in his head. He was desperate to come up with something to make sure they could be together more often. But that would be in the future. For the present moment, Lex was content to just stay there.