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Chapter Text

The Press Conference

Lex Luthor spoke to the world.

Standing before microphones and cameras, elegant, calm, surrounded by graphics and reporters, he projected exactly what he wanted: power, control, vision. A man of ideas. Of legacy.

“LexCorp leads not only through capital, but through capability. Through science.” By humanity,“ he said, smiling with cold eyes. ”We are the future that does not need to be saved by aliens.

The audience's stifled laughter was cut short by a sharp sound—the crack of something breaking on the ceiling.

Two figures landed at the edge of the stage.

Clark. Conner.

Lex saw them. He took a deep breath. And composed himself.

“What a surprise,” he said, without a hint of surprise. “Superman and his... young apprentice. To what do I owe the honor of this interruption?”

Clark spoke. Direct words. A public denunciation of falsified data and misuse of resources.

Lex let him speak.

And then... he turned discreetly to Conner. His face still calm, his smile emotionless. Only his tone changed—imperceptible to the cameras. Low. Intimate. Almost a whisper.

“Son...” he said. A warning. A command. A request.

It was a single word, spoken as if to say: not now. Not here. Stay with me.

Conner looked at him.

And everything froze.

The tension between the two was suspended, sharp, brutal.

And then, with icy firmness:

“I'm not your son, Luthor.”

Conner's voice came out loud. Clear. Definitive.

A cut.

An end.

Lex didn't move. He didn't respond.

But something in his gaze... died.

The smile came, but it was mechanical. Elegant. A veil over the open wound. He looked at the reporters, nodded slightly, and said:

“The interview ends here. We thank you all for coming.”

And he turned away. His back straight. His hands steady.

But his eyes—even for those who didn't see—would never be the same again.

--------------------

The Office

The elevator closed with a whisper.

Lex entered his fortress at the top of the LexCorp tower—where only authorized personnel had access. Where, until today, Clark Kent and Conner had always managed to enter.

He took off his jacket. He dropped it on the chair as if the fabric weighed tons.

He went to the desk. He opened the bottom drawer.

There was the photo.

Conner. A little younger. Smiling sideways. A moment captured between an explosion and an argument, perhaps.

Lex picked it up with two fingers, as if touching hot glass.

For a moment, he wasn't a billionaire genius. Not a scientist. Not a former villain.

He was just a man who had been called nothing by the only boy he considered family.

He turned the photo over. Calmly.

He pushed it back into the drawer. He locked it.

“From now on,” he said softly, “there is no more Luthor who cares about you.”

He sat down. He straightened his shoulders. He turned on the screen.

There was a whole world that was not Clark Kent or Conner Kent to take care of.

And he would take care of it perfectly.

Chapter Text

“Access Denied”
Days Later
The Justice League was the first to notice something strange.
“No suspicious activity from LexCorp in the last three weeks,” reported Black Canary. “No illegal projects detected. No hidden contracts with unstable governments.”
Bruce frowned.
“It's too quiet.”
Clark didn't comment, but he thought the same thing.
Lex always struck back. Always.
After that press conference? It was only a matter of time.
But... nothing came.

Two Weeks Later
Still nothing.
No killer robots. No speeches on national television. No sabotage at the League Tower.
Clark monitored LexCorp. So did Conner. But all they saw was Lex in meetings with scientists, visiting orphanages with absurd donations, and corporate presentations without any provocation.
“Do you think he's planning something much bigger?” Conner asked, perched on the ledge of Clark's apartment, looking out over the city.
Clark crossed his arms.
“Maybe. Or... he's doing this to confuse us.”
“Lex? Quiet? As a strategy?”
They looked at each other. It was possible.
But... it didn't seem like his style.

Attempted Confrontation
Tired of waiting, the two flew to LexCorp.
The balcony of Lex's office, where Clark had so often landed with his arms crossed, was... closed.
Lead-reinforced glass.
Discreet energy barriers.
A slight trace of kryptonite in the air. Enough to bother them. And keep them away.
Clark tried to use his x-ray vision.
Nothing.
Conner landed angrily.
“He's never blocked us before.”
Clark just stared at the glass. And for the first time, he felt what Lex probably wanted him to feel:
out.

The Front Door
The next day, Conner tried something different.
Civilian clothes. Jacket, jeans. Access card he had been using for years, even in the midst of fights.
He entered the LexCorp reception area with the same posture as always.
He swiped his card.
“Access denied.”
“Huh... must be a glitch.” He swiped it again. Nothing.
He called Mercy.
“Mr. Kent,” she said, politely impersonal. “Mr. Luthor has ordered that no strangers be allowed into the building.”
“Stranger?” Conner asked, his chest tightening. “But I...”
She just smiled formally.
“Direct order. Mr. Luthor is very clear about his words.”

Clark Tries
At the end of the day, Clark called LexCorp's press office. He introduced himself as a reporter for the Daily Planet. He asked for an interview with Lex.
“I'm sorry,” replied the assistant. “Mr. Luthor does not grant interviews to the Daily Planet.”
“But... he always—”
“Not anymore. Good afternoon, Mr. Kent.”
Click.

Late Night
“He's pushing us away,” Conner said, staring at the ceiling. “Literally.” As if we... had never been part of his life.
Clark took a while to respond.
“And the worst part is... he's succeeding.”
Silence. A painful silence. Uncomfortable.
They had expected a counterattack. An evil plan. A trap.
But Lex did something much worse:
He ignored them.

Chapter Text

“I Don't Have Children.”

The event was open to the public, but carefully selected.
Young talents in the scientific field. Outstanding university students. High school students with promising inventions. A clean, elegant auditorium, adorned with LexCorp's green and white colors. Smiles, cameras, credentials hanging around their necks.
Conner learned about the event from a flyer at college. And for the first time in weeks, he saw it as... an opportunity. A legitimate excuse.
He wore something neutral. A dark T-shirt. A denim jacket. Not the Superboy costume.
Just Conner.
Conner arrived early.
He didn't have an invitation. But he wasn't turned away.
Yet.
He stood on the side of the hall, watching. Disguising himself. Looking for something he didn't quite know what it was.
Until Lex walked in.
Calm. Straight posture. Light gray suit. Emerald tie.
The world molded itself around him.
Conner watched him talk to a girl with curly hair who was showing off a prototype mechanical arm. Lex leaned in, interested. He commented on something. He smiled approvingly. A minimal gesture, but sincere enough to make the girl's eyes sparkle.
Then a young man with a thermal detection drone. Lex listened, asked technical questions, touched the equipment carefully.
It was the Lex Luthor that only a few knew.
The genius. The educator. The man who saw potential and decided to shape it.
Conner took two steps. He approached with the instinctive confidence of someone who had always had access. Of someone who belonged in that space.
“Lex,” he said quietly, almost without thinking. As he always did.
Lex turned around.
There was no anger. There was no shock.
There was just... nothing.
Mercy intercepted with an elegant step, positioning herself between Conner and Lex like a wall.
Lex looked at him like someone trying to remember where he had seen a face in a restaurant.
“Conner... ah, yes,” he said, in a neutral, almost bureaucratic tone. “Clark Kent's son.”
The world froze.
Conner blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly.
“Do you want something? Are you covering the event for the Daily Planet?”
“I... no,” he began, but Lex was already speaking over him.
“I've already made it clear that I don't give interviews to that newspaper.”
And then he simply... walked on.
He turned to another group of students as if nothing had happened.
Conner stood still.
Breathing heavily.
His hands clenched.
But no one noticed.
On stage, the speeches began.
Lex returned to commanding the event with ease. His speech was elegant, structured. He talked about innovation, youth, responsibility.
And then came the question from a reporter:
“Mr. Luthor, have you ever considered training any of these young people to be your successor at LexCorp? Perhaps as your direct heir?”
Lex smiled in front of everyone.
“Maybe. It's an interesting idea.”
He looked out over the auditorium. His eyes passed over Conner without hesitation, as if there were nothing there.
“After all... I have no children. But who knows, in the future, I may adopt. Or bring someone worthy under my tutelage. Someone who understands my worldview.”
Cold. Clear. Painful.
Conner didn't hear the rest.

Later
Clark found him at the top of the planetarium building. The city spinning below like a broken toy.
Conner didn't turn around.
“He looked at me as if... I were just someone in the crowd.”
Clark was silent.
“Lex was never kind to me. But he knew who I was. Always.” Conner's voice faltered. “Today he erased me. As if... nothing had ever existed.”
Clark took a deep breath.
“I thought... it was just a tantrum. Or pride. But he's serious. He... erased us from his life.”
“And he's succeeding,” Conner said. “Like, for real. It's not a plan. It's not a trap. He just... got tired of us.”
Silence.
Until Clark narrowed his eyes.

“Do you think this is permanent?”
“I don't know.” Conner closed his eyes. “But I know that, for the first time, he's beating us.”
Clark lowered his head. The two remained silent for a while.
Then Conner muttered:
“It's Luthor. We're going to have to fight using his weapons.”
Clark nodded.
No words.
Just the weight of what they had broken.
And the absence of the man who, as impossible as it was, had always been there.

Chapter Text

“What Happens When Luthor Ignores?”

The days passed. And they passed in silence.
No conflict between LexCorp and the League.
No news of sabotage.
No encrypted messages to Clark or shady projects with Conner's name in some footnote of a leaked document.
Nothing.

Lex Luthor wasn't planning anything against them.
Because he simply wasn't thinking about them.
And that hurt more than any kryptonite bomb ever thrown.

Attempt #1 – Clark
Clark flew over LexCorp as he had done for years. Arms crossed. Stern gaze. The pose that said, “I'm watching.”
The balcony of Lex's office, once open, was still sealed with lead panels and proximity sensors.
He stopped in midair, visibly. He waited. About three minutes.
Nothing.
Two more.
Nothing.
He flew closer. Waited again.
Until an electronic panel on the balcony facade lit up with a warning, in sober font:
“Private Area. Unauthorized visitors. Thank you.”
Clark didn't know whether to laugh or punch a wall.

Attempt #2 – Conner
Two nights later, Conner showed up in front of LexCorp with a fake gauze bandage on his arm and a giant bandage on his forehead. Nothing serious — he had saved a train, but without any real scratches.
He stood there. Half leaning. Half dramatic.
Waiting for Lex to, I don't know, feel his presence.
A security guard noticed him.
“Everything okay, sir?”
“Yeah. I'm... just resting. I almost died today.”
“I see. Need any help?”
“No.” Pause. “Is he there?”
“Mr. Luthor? He's on an international call. He can't be interrupted.”
Conner stood there for another twenty minutes.
Lex, of course, didn't show up.

Attempt #3 – Agenda
Clark requested a formal interview with Lex using a fake name.
LexCorp's virtual secretary responded in seconds:
“Your request has been forwarded to the screening system. Unfortunately, Mr. Luthor is not available for interviews with emerging media at this time. Thank you for contacting us.”
Clark rolled his eyes.

Attempt #4 – Accidental (but not quite) encounter
Conner found out that Lex would be at a café near the university, discreetly participating in a panel with biotech investors.
He arrived early. He sat at a nearby table. He ordered a coffee. He sat there, pretending to read, trying to look natural.
Lex entered, surrounded by executives.
Conner couldn't resist. He stood up, took two steps, and said:
“Lex.”
Lex didn't even look up.
Mercy, impeccable in her suit and tablet in hand, glided forward.
“Please, sir. Return to your table. This is a private meeting.”
“I just wanted...”
“Mr. Luthor does not entertain impromptu visitors.”
“He knows me!”
“Now, sir.”
Conner backed away. Lex didn't see him. Or pretended not to.
When he left the café, something was tightening his chest. And it wasn't from physical exertion.

Later
“We're trying too hard,” Clark commented, frustrated, throwing a printed report on the table. “And he remains... perfectly neutral.”
“He's deleted us,” Conner said quietly.
Clark looked at him.
“I never thought I'd say this, but... I'd rather he threaten me.”
Conner was silent.
Then he took a deep breath and said,
“It's Luthor. We're going to have to fight using his weapons.”

Chapter Text

“Invisible Cracks”

The new strategy was subtle.
Be around. Don't confront. Just... remind Lex that they still existed.
Clark flew over LexCorp more often than any mission warranted.
Conner showed up “by chance” in the vicinity — a delivery, an academic visit, a simple walk.
Mercy saw them. She knew. She said nothing.
Lex?
Lex didn't react.

Rehearsal of Apologies
Conner wrote a message.
Then he rewrote it.
Then he deleted it.
He didn't even know where to start.
But even so, he went to LexCorp that afternoon. He entered in civilian clothes. His access card was still blocked, of course. He waited for Mercy to come down.

“I just wanted to... give you this.”
It was an envelope.
Mercy looked at it. She didn't take it.
“It's a letter,” Conner explained, tense. “Nothing big. Just... something I needed to say.”
“Mr. Luthor is not accepting personal correspondence,” she replied politely.
Conner hesitated.
He handed her the envelope anyway.
“Just... give this to him, please.”
Mercy looked at him for two seconds that felt like an eternity.
Then she took the envelope.

Trinca #1 – The Envelope
Hours later, Lex was reviewing documents in his office. Several monitors were on. Absolute silence, except for the sound of the air conditioner.
Mercy entered discreetly. She placed the envelope on the table without saying a word.
Lex didn't look at her. He continued typing.
But after a few seconds...
He stopped.
He looked at the envelope.
Simple. White. Conner's carefully written handwriting. Just the name. Nothing else.
Lex turned it over between his fingers. For a moment, he thought about tearing it open.
But he didn't.
Instead, he slid open the bottom drawer.
The one where he kept confidential files.
The one where, weeks earlier, he had locked away a photo of Conner.
Lex placed the envelope there. On top of the photo.
He closed it. Locked it.
And went back to work.

Trinca #2 – The Blood
Two days later, Conner arrived at the entrance to LexCorp with his arm bandaged for real. An attack in Star City. He took a direct hit to the shoulder and, on reflex, flew to Metropolis.
He wasn't going there. But he ended up going.
He stood on the sidewalk, looking at the building. His shirt stained with dried blood.
Clark appeared seconds later.
“Are you okay?”
Conner shrugged.
“Just... I was around.”
From one of the windows on the 38th floor, behind the dark glass, Lex watched.
He said nothing.
He didn't move.
But Mercy, who entered the room shortly thereafter, saw the scene and stopped as well.
“Sir?”
Lex remained motionless.
“He's bleeding,” she said, more neutral than usual.
Lex simply replied:
“And...?”

Trinca #3 – The Mention
During a press conference on sustainable technology, one of the journalists raised a final question:
"Mr. Luthor, rumors say that Superboy appeared in front of LexCorp recently. Any comments?"
Lex gave the slightest of smiles.
“Who?”
The room laughed, somewhat nervously.
“Superboy.”
Lex adjusted his shirt cuffs.
“Oh, of course. Superman's protégé.”
Pause.
“I don't know him.”

Later
Clark and Conner were sitting on the roof of a skyscraper again. Looking at the sky.
“I delivered a letter. He didn't respond,” Conner muttered. “But Mercy took it. He must have read it. Or... kept it. I don't know.”
Clark crossed his arms.
“He saw you bleeding. I felt it. He saw it. He just... didn't do anything.”
Silence.
Conner clenched his jaw.
“He's holding back.”
“You think so?”
Conner nodded, his eyes fixed on the illuminated buildings of the city.
"He's a Luthor. He can take a lot. But we went... too far. The pain is still there. He's just waiting. Measuring. Seeing if it's worth letting the mask slip.
Clark sighed.
“What if he decides it's not worth it?”
Conner replied without hesitation:
"Then we break his mask.
With his own weapons.

Chapter Text

“You got what you wanted.”

There was a fire in one of LexCorp's satellite labs.
Small. Controlled. A security system failure.
But enough to attract attention.
Clark arrived first.
He put out the flames before the firefighters did.

Conner showed up next, wearing his Superboy uniform.
They both knew the lab wasn't the focus. It was an excuse.
It was the 37th floor. The same floor they already knew belonged to high-level projects. The same floor that, according to the external cameras, Lex visited frequently.
Clark went in first. Conner followed close behind.

Security guards tried to stop them, but Superman was already in the middle of the hallway.
“I'm here to confirm that there was no toxic contamination.”
It was a lie. But an effective one.
And then... the door to the main lab opened.

Lex came out.
Impeccable suit. Medical gloves in his pockets. Mask hanging from his wrist.
He saw them. He paused for a second.
Clark said:
“Lex.”
Lex looked at him for a moment. Then he looked away at Conner.
But his eyes didn't soften.
No trace of recognition.
“Ah. You guys.”
“Did you see the explosion?” Conner said, trying to sound practical. “I thought I should make sure everything was okay.”
“Everything is under control,” Lex replied curtly. “There's nothing for you here.”
He turned to re-enter the lab.
Conner took a step forward, his voice low:
“Are you really going to keep pretending we mean nothing to you?”
Lex stopped.
His back still turned.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he spoke. Slowly. Without raising his voice.
“You're alive, aren't you?”
Conner frowned.
“What?”
“You're still breathing. You have your freedom. Your father. Your name. Your home.” He turned around at last. “And no Luthor to suffocate you with expectations or... the stain of our surname.”
Clark approached him.
“Lex, it's not like that...”
Lex raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
“No.” He looked directly at Conner now. His eyes were cold, but sharp. “You made it very clear, in front of the cameras and the whole country: I am not your son, Luthor.”
Conner took half a step back. Lex continued.
“And you, Clark... you supported him. As you always do when it involves removing me from the equation.”
“We were...” Clark began, but Lex didn't even listen.
“It doesn't matter. I get it. You wanted distance. So have it. It's exactly what you asked for: a Lex Luthor out of your lives.” Off the radar. No threats, no plans. Absolute silence. And honestly...“ He took a step back, the bitter smile returning. ”It's been liberating.

Conner stood motionless.
Clark looked like he was about to say something—anything—but remained silent.

Lex turned his back.
"You came here hunting a villain. But all you found was the reflection of what you created. A man who... finally got the message.
And entered the lab.
The door closed.

Locked.
With lead sensors.
And kryptonite in the door frames.

At the top of the planetarium
Conner was sitting on the floor.
Clark arrived minutes later.
“He threw it in our faces.”
Conner nodded.
“And rightly so.”
“He's hurt.”
“He's furious. But... not angry. He's... disappointed.”
Clark sat down beside him.
They both stayed there, looking at the city.
“What do we do now?” Conner asked.
Clark took a deep breath.
“We keep trying.”
Conner looked at him.
“What if he doesn't come back?”
Clark didn't hesitate:
"Then we keep trying.
Because there's no other option..."

Chapter Text

“The Art of Polite Humiliation”

Lex could have forgiven him.
He could have been moved by Conner's gesture.
He could have considered that Clark had no choice.
But he was Lex Luthor.
And Lex Luthor does not forgive.
He accepts offers of peace in the most humiliating way possible—as if he were doing charity.
And then the mind games began.

Attempt #38 — Clark, the sycophantic journalist
Clark wrote an article titled:
“The Silence of Lex Luthor: Philanthropist, Genius, and Unexpected Ally?”
It was published discreetly in the Daily Planet.
But of course, Lex saw it.
Mercy entered the office with the tablet in her hand.
“Mr. Luthor... do you want me to respond?”
“Respond?” Lex laughed dryly. “And give him the satisfaction of knowing that I read it?”
He dropped the tablet. But five minutes later, he picked it up again.
He read it again.
And mentally corrected three scientific facts cited by Clark.
He didn't send a correction. Not yet.

Attempt #42 – Conner, the student
The following week, Conner discreetly enrolled in a program for young innovators supported by LexCorp.
Using his own name.
He presented a modest but well-done project: a new design for solar panels in orbit.
Lex, of course, was invited to participate in the evaluation panel.
He arrived at the event exactly seven minutes late.
Wine-colored suit, blasé expression.
Conner was on stage. When he saw Lex enter, nervousness struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Lex listened to the presentation with his arms crossed, without blinking.
At the end, the moderator asked:
“Mr. Luthor, would you like to comment?”
Lex took the microphone.
He paused.
And then, with the elegance of a king who had just been forced to applaud a commoner, he said:
“Technically competent. Still, superficial in the thermal analysis. An acceptable job. For a beginner.”
Conner wanted to bury his face in a hole.
But it was more than Lex had said to him in weeks.
And he almost smiled.

The first real crack
Two days later, Mercy handed Lex a report with comments from the judges.
On the last page, there was a note attached with a paper clip:
“Thanks for your time and attention. - Conner.”
Lex didn't comment.
But he folded the note carefully.
And placed it next to the previous letter in the locked drawer.
Later
Conner showed up at the Planetarium with a bag of pizza.
“Hi,” he said to Clark.
“Hi.”
Conner sat down, opened the box, and threw him a slice.
“He called me superficial. And a beginner. And suggested that I have no direction.”
Clark chewed a piece.
“And you?”
Conner shrugged.
“I'm going to do a better project.”
Clark laughed.
“And we pretend that's not him accepting war?”
“It's more than ignoring our existence.” Conner looked up at the sky. “It's Luthor saying, ‘I'm going to torture you... with constructive criticism.’”
Clark raised his slice of pizza in a silent toast.
“We're in.”

Excerpt from the exclusive interview with Lex Luthor for Metropolis Business Weekly
Reporter:
"Mr. Luthor, you have become one of the largest investors in scientific research for young people. That's inspiring.
But... some say it seems like a replacement. You had a previous, albeit unconfirmed, relationship with Superboy — who recently declared on national television, “I am not your son, Luthor.”
Do you have any comment on that?
Lex smiled. Slowly. Sharply.
Lex:
“Ah. The quote of the century.”
Teenage drama remains one of the most constant forces in the universe.
Reporter:
— But was there, in fact, any bond between you?
We know that Superboy is Superman's son... what does that make him to you?
Lex paused. He looked directly at the camera, as if speaking to two very specific people.
Lex:
— Any supposed bond was theoretical. A scientific accident that, incidentally, I never requested.
— And when it did arise, it was... constantly thrown in my face by a certain moralistic reporter in a cape and a stubborn clone with a volatile sense of identity.
(Pause.)
— But let there be no doubt: I have no children.
Reporter (visibly uncomfortable):
— Right... that's a clear statement.
Lex (already leaning back with superiority):
— Extremely clear. And, I might add, liberating.
Investing in promising young people who want to learn, who seek guidance and respect science?
Much more satisfying than dealing with... performative rejections in front of the cameras.

Elsewhere in Metropolis...
Conner paused the video. He looked at Clark.
Clark just smiled weakly.
“He took a jab at us,” Conner said, incredulous.
“Uh-huh,” Clark replied, still a little shocked. “He talked to us.”
“He denied that he wanted me as a son...”
And called me dramatic.
“And called me a moralist with a cape.”
Pause.
Conner smiled.
“We're back.”
Clark took a deep breath.
“He's angry. And resentful. But finally... he's noticed us again.”
“And with venom. Everything's going back to normal.”
Clark looked out the apartment window.
The LexCorp sign glowed indifferently in the distance.
“The emotional war has begun.”

Chapter Text

“I Only Interfered Because It Was Annoying.”

There was a new group operating in the shadows of Metropolis:
Tecnopunk. Young criminals with homemade cybernetic implants and no concept of electrical safety.
Clark and Conner were dealing with a small cell.
Conner tried to stop one of the members, but the boy activated an electromagnetic pulse that caused equipment at the top of a crane to malfunction.
The crane collapsed—straight onto Conner.
Clark screamed.
Conner raised his arms to protect himself.
But the impact never came.
A silver force field appeared around him at the last second, repelling the debris with calculated, surgical force.
The criminals fled in panic.
Clark ran to Conner.
“Are you okay?”
Conner nodded, confused.
He looked around.
That's when a metallic gray ship floated over the buildings, visible for only three seconds before disappearing behind the clouds.
Clark saw it too.
“Was that—?”
“Lex,” Conner said, with a lump in his throat.

Later, at LexCorp
“Mr. Luthor, the shield has been activated,” Mercy said.
She watched Lex with her usual neutrality, but her eyes were alert.
Lex, as always, was typing something that didn't need to be typed so hard.
“I told you not to use that protocol without supervision,” he growled.
“It wasn't the AI,” she replied calmly. “You activated it manually.”
Lex stopped.
“He would have turned around.” he said finally.
“Probably not,” said Mercy. “But I understand.”
She turned to leave.
“Mercy.”
She stopped.
“None of this happened.”
“Of course, sir.”
Pause.
“Sir?”
Lex didn't answer.
But his hand rested on the desk drawer.
The one where the letter and the note were.
He didn't open it.
But he didn't take his hand off it.

At the top of the Daily Planet
“It was him,” Conner said.
Clark agreed.
“Do you think he followed us?”
“Or he was always there.”
Conner looked up at the sky.
A small smile escaped him.
“He still cares.”
Clark crossed his arms.
“Do you think he'll admit it?”
Conner smiled wider.
“It's Luthor.”
He'll say he only interfered because he couldn't stand to see a tragedy caused by incompetent idiots.
Or that the equipment was going to damage LexCorp's sidewalk.
Or that the noise was annoying.
Clark smiled too.
“But we'll find out.”

Chapter Text

“If You Want My Attention, Earn It.”

It had been four days since Lex “didn't save” Conner from being crushed by tons of steel.
And three days since Clark tried to contact LexCorp—formally.
Nothing.
Lex's silence was now... polite.
The most dangerous kind of silence.

Attempt #1 — Clark and the closed door
Clark tried to visit LexCorp as a journalist.
He didn't wear his uniform. He didn't break into the building. He was civilized.
The receptionist greeted him with a fake smile.
“Mr. Kent, unfortunately Mr. Luthor is unavailable. He is in a series of confidential meetings that are expected to last... indefinitely.”
“Did he see my message?”
“All correspondence for Mr. Luthor is forwarded by Miss Mercy Graves. And she reads it very carefully.”
Clark took a deep breath.
“I see. Thank you.”
He left.
But the security camera followed him to the sidewalk.
From the 98th floor, Lex watched without saying a word.

Attempt #2 – Conner and the gentle humiliation
Conner went to the LexCorp lab. Again.
Bioengineering event. Public. Open to students.
He arrived early. He took the same old badge — the one that used to give him unrestricted access.
The turnstile denied him access with an offensive beep.
Mercy appeared in person.
“Mr. Kent. Are you here as a student, journalist, or superhero?”
“I just wanted to... get in,” Conner replied, embarrassed.
Mercy looked him over.
“Then, as a civilian visitor, please wear this badge.”
She handed him a white badge.
No name. No special access.
Visitor #112.
Conner entered.
Inside, Lex was already on stage, listening to a group of young people present a prototype neural prosthesis.
He smiled. He commented. He praised.
When his eyes met Conner's, it was as if he were looking through glass.
No coldness. No sarcasm. Just... polite formality.
And then, the event journalist — the same one from the previous interview — approached Lex with the microphone.
Journalist:
"Mr. Luthor, it's amazing to see you so involved in the projects of young scientists.
Any plans to choose a protégé? A scientific heir?"
Lex smiled.
Soft. Calculated. Cutting.
Lex:
"Perhaps. I'm evaluating options.
I've never had children, as I've already made clear.
But now I'm open to new possibilities.
As long as... they prove to me that they deserve it."
Conner froze.
Lex looked at him at that moment.
He looked.
Then he calmly turned and returned to the stage, surrounded by teenagers eager for attention.

Later
On the roof of the Daily Planet, Clark found Conner staring at the LexCorp sign.
"He spoke to me.
Indirectly.
Cruelly.
But he spoke to me."
Clark sat down beside him.
“He said he's open to... new possibilities.”
“He threw back what I said in that interview.”
'I'm not your son.'
And now he doesn't want to be a father anymore either. Unless... we prove ourselves.
Clark looked up at the sky. He sighed.
“Lex Luthor is making us compete for affection with a science mentoring program.”
Conner laughed.
“And the worst part? He's winning.”

In Lex's office
Mercy entered.
"Superboy went to the event. Clark Kent tried to visit again.
They are... persistent."
Lex did not respond.
He just stared at the holographic panel.
An image of Conner presenting his project.
An image of Clark sitting in the reception area.
Both under surveillance. Both still trying.
Mercy hesitated.
“Sir... maybe this is going too far?”
Lex turned slowly.
“I said I don't want to be ignored.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then they'll have to win me back. With blood, sweat... and submission to my agenda.”
Mercy sighed.
“Should I schedule the next event with scientific mentors?”
Lex thought for a second.
“Yes.”
“And tell the organizers that Visitor #112 must be officially invited.”
Mercy raised an eyebrow.
Lex added, without changing his tone:
“Just to keep up appearances.”

Chapter Text

“You Were Pathetic Without Me.”

Metropolis woke up in panic.
An old enemy of the League—a terrorist with alien implants—attacked the city's technology center, right in the middle of the Young Scientists Summit, sponsored by LexCorp.
The entire building was evacuated... except for the auditorium where a hundred promising young people, three Ivy Town teachers, Mercy Graves with a Glock, and Lex Luthor in his white battle suit were gathered.

Conner and Clark arrive too late
Clark flew over the building and held his breath when he saw the energy signal coming from the center.
Conner entered at full speed, making his way through the lobby like a missile with messy hair.
“Where is he?” Conner shouted.
“In the auditorium,” replied a LexCorp employee, hiding under the reception desk. “And Mr. Luthor is there too!”
Conner's eyes widened.
“WHAT?!”

Clark was already breaking through the wall.
On stage, the villain was activating an alien bomb with a countdown timer.
Lex Luthor, calm, typed on his tablet as he said with boredom:
“Your code is rudimentary. Not even quantum encryption? What a waste of time.”
The villain roared and lunged at him.

Before Conner could break through the wall, a purple barrier enveloped Lex and Mercy, and a reverse gravity field was activated under the villain—who was thrown to the ceiling with a humiliating thud.
Clark stopped in the middle of the stage.
Conner froze two meters away.
Lex just... looked at the two of them.
He looked. With that expression that said: Oh. They came to ruin everything. Again.

The humiliation begins
“I thought you were too busy ignoring me,” Lex said casually. “Or was it the ‘scientific accident’ that brought you here?”
Clark took a step forward.
“Lex, these kids—”
“They were safer with me than with two idiots who let a villain breach the city's security perimeter every week.”
Conner cringed.
Lex continued, now with more relish:
“You were an embarrassment, you know? Flying around haphazardly, getting in the way of my drones, destroying sensors...”

He pointed at Conner.
"And you? Shaking like a wet puppy?
You almost screamed ‘Dad’ when you saw me on the emergency report. Get a grip."
Conner blushed to the core.
“I didn't—I wasn't—”
Lex ignored him.
"If you intend to continue with this... pathetic attempt to win me back, at least study harder.
My time is precious. My expectations are high. And my patience... nonexistent."
Clark opened his mouth, but Mercy cleared her throat.
Lex raised his hand.
“Silence. I'm still talking.”

Pause.

“But I must admit... seeing you guys try... it's almost entertaining.”

Later, on the way out
Clark and Conner stood in front of the building.
“We were humiliated,” said Conner.
“We were trashed,” replied Clark.
“We... were noticed.”
They looked at each other.
Clark sighed.
“He saved a hundred people. He saved you. And he still left us with no morale to fight back.”
Conner scratched the back of his neck.
“Does that mean... he's talking to us again?”
Clark smiled wearily.
“It means... Lex Luthor is back.”

Pause.

“And we're going to have to play his game now.”
Conner looked up.
The sign glowed.
LEXCORP

“The Future Is in the Hands of Those Who Build It.”
He smiled.
“Time for revenge.”

Chapter Text

“I don't need children. But talent... I recognize.”

Three days after the “incident” in the auditorium, Conner received a white envelope.
No sender. No stamp.
Just a discreet embossed symbol: the “L” of LexCorp.
Inside, a note.
Mr. Kent,

Apparently you have some scientific inclination.
Since you insist on hovering over my events, perhaps you would prefer to do something useful.
I am promoting a round of tests for young scientists. A technical challenge. Nothing emotional.
Participate, if you wish.
Or not. Indifference is the advantage of superiors.
— L.

Conner read the note four times before he could breathe.
Clark, upon reading it, simply said:
"He called you useful.
That's practically affection."
Conner held the paper as if it were a letter from Hogwarts.
“He wants me to participate... in a technical challenge.”
“Me.”
“Conner Kent.”
Clark raised an eyebrow.
"The part that shocked you the most is that he recognized that you have ‘some scientific inclination’?
“Yes.”

The Challenge
The LexCorp testing room was absurd.
Smart glass panels, evaluation drones, AI narrating the data, and... Lex sitting on a throne disguised as an observation chair.
He watched all the candidates.
Including Conner.
Completely neutral.
But with each correct answer from Conner, a subtle detail happened:
The hologram zoomed in on the display.

Lex typed.

Mercy, behind him, smiled discreetly.

Conner assembled a prototype adaptive environmental sensor in record time.
He was the only one to calibrate the data perfectly on the first try.
In the end, Lex stood up.
He walked over to Conner.
Everyone held their breath.
Lex looked at the sensor.
Then at Conner.

“Surprising,” he said dryly. “I expected a much more... limited result.”
Conner straightened up, unsure.
Lex took a slight step forward.
He lowered his voice.
"I don't need children, Mr. Kent.
But talent...
Talent I recognize."
Conner swallowed hard.

“Thank you... sir.”
Lex just turned away.
But Mercy heard him whisper as he walked away:
“At least he learned something from my genes.”

That night
Clark was at the apartment window when Conner came in.
He looked like he was in a trance.
“He said I have talent,” he muttered.
“He said he recognizes it,” Clark corrected him.
“And that he expected less.”
“That's a compliment, Dad. A Luthor compliment. It's like getting a trophy.”
“A radioactive trophy with a note saying ‘don't get attached.’”
“I LOVE THAT.”

Clark snorted, but laughed.
“What does he want from you, Conner?”
Conner paused.
"I think... nothing.
I think he just... liked seeing that I still wanted his recognition."
“And do you?”
“Yes.”
Clark sighed.
“Is that a problem?”
Conner shrugged.
“Only if we let it be.”

In Lex's office
Mercy brought the final test report.
“He passed with the highest score.”
Lex didn't respond.
“And the others?”
“Weak. One or two with potential.”
Pause.
“He's trying, sir.”
Lex typed slowly.
“He rejected me.”
He ridiculed me in front of the world.
“And now?”
Lex stopped. He looked out the window.
“Now...”
He wants back something he didn't even know he had lost.
“Will it work?”
Lex closed the report.
“Maybe.”
But he'll have to prove it to me.
Again.
And again.
Mercy raised an eyebrow.
“Until when?”
Lex smiled.
“Until the pride hurts less.”

Chapter Text

“I Owe You One. I Hate That.”

It was supposed to be a global clean technology meeting.
Organized by the UN.
With the biggest names in world science.
Lex Luthor, of course, was the main highlight.
But also present — infiltrated among journalists — was an exiled alien criminal.
His motive: to destroy one of the panels containing Kryptonian content that used technology from the Fortress of Solitude.
Clark noticed seconds before the attack began.
But Lex was on stage.

The attack
When the alien fired the weapon, Lex turned directly toward the threat.
Mercy advanced.
Clark threw himself between the beam and the stage.
The explosion was muffled by his body.
Lex fell, pushed by the shock wave, and Clark caught him before he hit the protective railing.
Lex coughed and opened his eyes.
And he saw Clark.
Two inches away.
Burnt.

Breathing fast.
“You... saved me?”
Clark stood up.
“For the millionth time.”
“Was it instinctive?”
“It was right.”
Lex adjusted his tie—burned at the tip—and walked away.
“Great. Now we're even.”
Clark raised an eyebrow.
“Almost dying makes us even?”
Lex slowly turned on his heels.
"All right.
I owe you one.
And you can imagine how much... I hate that.
Clark smiled.
"A Luthor owing something to a Kent?
I'll mark it on my calendar."
Lex narrowed his eyes.
“Do that.”
But let me know if you intend to collect."
Clark smiled even more.
“What if I want to collect in the form of conversation?”

Lex snorted.
But he didn't answer.
He just turned and walked away with his offended emperor posture.
But... he didn't leave immediately.
He paused for a second.
He took a breath.
“... Thank you,” he muttered.
And then he left.

LexCorp, later
Conner was waiting for Clark in the apartment.
“How did it go?”
“I saved Lex. He survived.”
He hated me for it.
Now he owes me one.
“And he admitted it?”
“Yes.”
And he said I can collect."
Conner's eyes widened.
“You're going to collect?”
“I already have.”
“What?”
Clark smiled crookedly.
“I asked for a conversation.”
Conner looked at him as if he had gone mad.
“You're the bravest man I know.”

In Lex's office
Mercy closed the door behind her.
“Are you going to meet with Kent?”
Lex swiveled in his chair.
“He saved me.”
“So what?”
“I hate being in debt.”
“Then just don't go.”
Lex was silent.
He looked at the corner of the room.
A new plant, a gift from one of the young scientists, recently placed in a pot with a plaque:
To Mr. Luthor. Thank you for believing in our future.
“He wants to talk.”
And he didn't demand anything else.
“That's dangerous.”
“That's Clark Kent.”
“Even worse.”
Lex smiled.
But he was tense.
“Schedule it.”
Mercy nodded.
“What about Superboy?”
Lex thought.
He cleared his throat.
“He can continue participating in the tests.”
“With access to the building?”
Lex swiveled in his chair.
“Up to the 50th floor.”
“And after that?”
“After that, he'll have to fight for it.”

Chapter Text

“You're on the 50th floor. Be careful what you do now”

Conner stared at the LexCorp elevator.
Not flying.
Not breaking through the wall.
Like a civilian. Like a son... who still wanted to be accepted.
He swiped his badge.
The light turned green.
The door opened.
Conner held his breath without realizing it.
—
Floor 12... 23... 37...
He almost smiled.
50.
The elevator stopped with a sharp beep.
The door opened.
A clean, quiet hallway.
Neutral reception.
Two mechanically polite assistants.
Conner walked up to the desk.
Before he could say anything, the screen next to the receptionist lit up.
It was Mercy.
"Mr. Kent. You have been authorized to go to the 50th floor.
Don't get lost.
Don't cause trouble.
And please... don't insist on going up.
Conner blinked.
"I just wanted to talk to him.
Mercy sighed.
"Talk here. But know that he's not listening.
Or maybe he is.
With Lex, you never know.
Pause.
"You're on the 50th floor, Conner.
Be careful what you do now.
There's no more emotional security after this."
Conner didn't answer.
He just stood there, staring at the steel door leading to Lex's office.
It didn't open.

Meanwhile, on the 99th floor
Clark sat across from Lex.
An empty room.
No aides.
No distractions.
Just the two of them.
Lex had a glass of wine (white, French, expensive, and absolutely dramatic).
“You don't usually accept meetings without the press,” Clark commented.
“I'm making exceptions. Enjoy it.”
Clark took a deep breath.
“You know you're playing with him, right?”
"I don't play. I set the rules.
And he has to fight to comply."
“He's trying.”
Lex looked at the glass.
He swirled the liquid.
As if the wine could tell him the truth he didn't want to hear.
"Clark... you pushed him to reject me in public.
And now you're hurt that I took it seriously?"
Clark backed away a little.
"I was protecting him.
You can be dangerous."
"And you're predictable.
You always assume you're right.
And that your way of protecting isn't just control disguised as kindness."
Clark stared at Lex, serious.
"I make mistakes, Lex. But I admit them.
You... you turn it into war.
Lex stood up.
"Because with me, everything turns into war, Clark.
I breathe and I make headlines.
I look at that boy and everyone screams ‘villain!’
But when I saw potential in him... when I tried to guide him...
You threw me in the mud.
“You also tested him as an experiment.”
“I TEST MYSELF EVERY DAY AS AN EXPERIMENT!”
Silence.
Lex took a deep breath.
Lower:
"He called me father. Once.
Then he denied me before the world."
“He regretted it.”
"Great.
Because now he knows how I felt."

On the 50th floor,
Conner was still standing.
Leaning against the wall.
Wondering if he should go back.
The screen lit up again.
It was just text.
"Mr. Kent. An exception is being considered.
Don't move."
He froze.
The elevator doors opened.
Floor 99.
No badge.
No fanfare.
Just the open door.
Conner entered.
He looked at Mercy on the screen.
She sighed.
"He said to open it. But he told me to warn you:
‘Don't get your hopes up.’"
Whatever that means, good luck.

Chapter Text

You're trying. And that's annoying.

The door to the 99th floor opened with a metallic click.
Conner entered slowly, as if stepping into an ancient temple... or a minefield.
The office was bigger than he remembered.
Colder.
Quieter.
More empty.
Lex was sitting with his back to him, staring out the windows overlooking the entire city of Metropolis.
The city lights reflected off his immaculate light gray suit.
Motionless. Untouchable.
“I...” Conner began.
Lex raised a finger.
Silence.
Conner shut his mouth.
Long seconds passed.
Lex didn't even turn around. He just spoke, his voice perfectly modulated:
“Did you come to ask me for an allowance?”
Conner frowned.
“No.”
“A job?”
“No, not that either.”
“Then what did you come for?”
Did the search for validation from his father figure win out over his tantrum?
Conner took two steps.
Slowly.
“I came because... because you let me in.”
Lex turned his head slightly. A millimeter. Just enough to make it clear: it was no coincidence.
“I allowed it. That doesn't mean anything.”
“It means you didn't block me. Not this time.”
Lex stood up.
He went to one of the shelves.
He fiddled with something.
He said, almost casually:
“Clark thought he owed me a conversation. And you took advantage of the distraction.”
“It's not that.”
“No? Then what is it?”
Conner swallowed hard.
“I... missed you.”
Pause.
Lex turned slowly.
His gaze was like thin ice, about to crack.
“And why exactly, Mr. Kent, would you miss a ‘non-father’ like me?”
"Because even when you were unbearable... you saw me.
You treated me like a real person."
Lex approached. Slowly.
"I treated you like a project.
An experiment.
An emotional investment... poorly made."
“And even so,” Conner replied firmly, “I knew you cared.”
Lex stopped two steps away from him.
“You denied me.”
“And you erased me.”
Lex smiled. Small. Sad. Tired.
“Masterstroke, don't you think?”
“No.”
Conner lifted his chin.
“It was cruel.”
Pause.
Long.
Then Lex turned his back again. He went back to the window.
“You still don't deserve it,” he said quietly.
Conner blinked.
“What?”
Lex was silent for a moment before adding:
"But you're trying.
And that's... uncomfortable."
Conner smiled. Small. Hopeful.
“Uncomfortable... like scratching the surface?”
Lex sighed wearily and sat back down.
“Leave before I change my mind.”
Conner hesitated.
“Can I come back?”
Lex opened the drawer.
He took out a badge.
He threw it on the table without looking at him.
“Access to floor 50.”
On Tuesdays.
From 3 to 4 p.m.
Conner held the badge as if it were gold.
“Thank you.”
Lex didn't answer.
But when the door closed behind Conner, he picked up his tablet.
And set a reminder for Tuesday, 2:55 p.m.:
“Avoid smiling. He'll notice.”

Chapter Text

Tuesday, from 3 to 4 p.m. Nothing else

Clark entered the apartment, already taking off his glasses, clearly exhausted.
Conner was sprawled on the sofa.
Holding a badge.
Turning it between his fingers like a sacred medallion.
Clark frowned.
“Is that new?”
Conner held up the badge with an almost childish smile.
“Authorized access to floor 50. Tuesdays. From 3 to 4 p.m.”
Clark was silent for a moment.
“You... got an appointment with Lex?”
“I earned it.”
After days of passive-aggressive rejection, cold hostility, and a dialogue that felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Clark sat down slowly.
“And you're happy about that?”
“It's Lex. That's basically an ‘I love you.’”
With contractual clauses.
Clark rubbed his face with his hands.
“Children shouldn't feel victorious for being able to visit their parents at times controlled by AI.”
“Welcome to my life.”
Clark looked at him, serious.
“Doesn't that bother you?”
Conner hesitated.
Then he replied, calmer:
“It bothers me.”
But less than being treated as invisible.
Pause.
Clark nodded.
"Okay.
Just... be careful."
Conner smiled.
“I always am.”
Clark raised his eyebrow.
"No.
You never are."

Tuesday – 2:58 p.m.
Conner stood in front of the door on the 50th floor.
Mercy appeared on the screen.
She already looked tired.
“Mr. Kent. You're two minutes early.”
“So?”
"Mr. Luthor set the time for 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
This is not a suggestion.
It's a decree."
“Can't I just wait inside?”
“You can wait in the reception room with bad coffee and a magazine from 2009.”
Conner snorted.
But he obeyed.

Wednesday – 3:15 p.m.
Conner tried again.
The badge beeped red.
The door didn't open.
Mercy appeared on the screen, without even waiting for him to speak.
“It's Wednesday.”
“I know, but...”
"No.
Tuesdays. From 3 to 4 p.m."
You've already been told.
Conner crossed his arms.
“I just wanted to talk to him.”
"And I just wanted to be in the Maldives with a cocktail and without you filling up my schedule.
But here we are."
Pause.
“Come back on Tuesday.”

At the office – The following Tuesday
Conner sat down in front of Lex.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Lex analyzed holographic data.
Deliberately ignoring him.
Conner tried:
“This research... is it about environmental technology?”
"It's about silence.
You should study it."
“I can help,” he insisted.
Lex typed another line.
"Maybe.
You still have... raw potential.
But you're undisciplined.
Riddled with insecurities.
And dramatically influenced by your other father."
“Clark just wants to protect me.”
"He wants you to be like him.
Morally pure. Pleasant.
Infallibly predictable.
Conner was silent.
Then:
“And you?”
Lex looked up.
"I want you to think.
To challenge.
Not to accept everything you're told just because it came with an ‘S’ on your chest.
Pause.
“I want you to be better than all of us.”

At the end of the day,
Clark met Conner on the porch.
“How did it go?”
Conner was silent.
Then he replied with a vague smile.
“He wants me to be better than him.”
Clark was surprised.
"Wow.
That...
That almost sounds like... pride?"
“It does.”
Or very sophisticated manipulation.
Clark laughed.
“The two aren't mutually exclusive when it comes to Lex.”
Conner looked at the badge.
“He's not perfect.”
He's still hurt.
“And you?”
Conner thought for a moment.
“I'm still trying.”

Chapter Text

Lex Luthor read reports on three different screens.
The evening light streamed through the office windows, gilding everything indecently for someone who claimed to be indifferent.
In front of him, Conner was talking.
"...and then, if the decay curve is altered with the right stimulus, perhaps the field will stabilize.”
Quiet.
Lex didn't answer.
He just kept analyzing the screens, with that slight frown of concentration that Conner had learned to interpret.
He was listening.
Conner took a deep breath.
A little more courage:
"Me... I thought about it because of a conversation with Megan. She suggested that I... look at things differently.”
Lex finally turned his eyes to him.
Not ironic. Not cutting.
Barely... watching.
"Interesting.
Miss M'gann still has those flashes of usefulness.”
Conner gave a little smile, half unintentionally.
"So, can I continue the project?”
Lex typed something.
Then he said, with disconcerting lightness:
"Make a sketch. Send me. Use lab B if you want.”
Conner almost fell out of his chair.
"Really?”
“You expected what?
A letter of recommendation with an emotional seal of approval?”
Conner smiled.
“I just hoped... less.”
Lex raised an eyebrow, but something there, in the corner of his mouth, threatened to turn into a smile.
It was then that Mercy quietly entered the office, with the quiet precision of someone who does not want to spoil the mood — but needs to say something.
"Mr. Luthor. It's 5: 20 p.m.”
Lex blinked.
He looked at the clock.
Then to Conner.
Then again to the clock.
"The meeting... it ended at 4 p.m.”
Mercy just nodded.
With a slight glint in her eyes that she pretended to be reflection from the window.
Lex cleared his throat, tense.
"That... it was a lapse.
Nothing more.”
Conner stood up, trying to contain the corner smirk.
"Good... see you next Tuesday, then?”
"Don't anticipate victory.
I might cancel every Tuesday until the end of the century.”
Conner shrugged.
"You can try. But you let me talk for more than an hour.”
Lex snorted.
"Leave before I install teen detectors in the building.”
Conner was.
And Mercy, closing the door, could not resist:
"Mr. Luthor?”
"Yes?”
"Their time is usually accurate to the millisecond.”
Lex didn't look at her.
"It was... a social experiment.”
Mercy smiled.
On your back.
In the deafness.
Cheering more than I would allow out loud.
****
The same afternoon-Daily Planet Office
Clark was typing a story when the league communicator beeped.
Message from Mercy Graves.
"Meeting with Superboy has exceeded the scheduled time. Lex only realized when he was alerted.
Apparently, he listens.
Please don't let that go to your head."
Clark didn't laugh.
But closed the laptop slowly.
He stood up.
And disappeared out the window seconds later.
***
LexCorp terrace-7: 42
Lex was alone.
Until Clark landed next to him, soft as the breeze that always preceded chaos.
“I came to thank you."Clark said.
Lex didn't even turn.
"Are you chasing me?
Go chase meteors, for Rao's sake.”
“You heard him.
You gave space.
More than you asked for.”
“It was a mistake.”
Mercy distracted me.
Clark smiled.
"Sure. Because you always get distracted when Conner is talking about quantum physics.”
Lex snorted.
“Are you trying to make me look noble?”
“I'm saying you still care.”
“I'm saying you're delusional.
But ... " Lex finally turned around.
“If you will thank me... bring coffee.
No sugar.”
Clark:
"Always.”

Chapter Text

The week passed without explosions, without interdimensional crises and, most bizarrely of all:
no plan for world domination with LexCorp signature.
Conner was sure it was... suspicious.
Even more: it was personal.
He woke up that Tuesday.
He put on his black shirt, his blue jacket and picked up the cake. A real cake.
Homemade.
Bought, of course — he wasn't Martha Kent.
But still, a gesture.
When he arrived at LexCorp, he passed through security with a provisional "Youth Project participant" pass.
He was not barred.
Lex allowed it.
(No one commented. But Mercy saw it.)

Lab B-15: 47
Conner adjusted the reverse gravitational field sensors.
The scientific part distracted him.
But the anxiety?
That grew as the clock approached 4 p.m.
When the time came, the door opened.
Lex's in.
In a black suit, Emerald tie.
Impeccable.
He looked at the experiment.
Then to the side table.
"That is... cake?”
Conner tried to look casual.
"I thought that... it could be... I don't know. A gesture of goodwill?”
Lex raised an eyebrow.
"Will you try to sweeten me after rejecting my DNA on the National Grid?”
Conner rolled his eyes.
"It's just cake, Lex.”
Lex approached.
He pulled out a chair.
He sat.
Quiet.
Then a fork appeared from the drawer.
Lex served a slice.
Put it on the plate.
It bit.
With all the calm in the world.
"I expected more coverage.”
Conner smiled.
"I expected more gratitude.”
Lex raised his fork in cynical toast.
"Expectations are dangerous.”
Meanwhile ... on the terrace
Clark landed soft-footed as ever.
Mercy was already there.
“He went into lab B, " she said, before Clark asked.
"Thank you.”
"Mr. Kent...”
Mercy-style dramatic break
“Don't ruin it.”
Clark arched an eyebrow.
"Are you cheering?”
"I am investing in the emotional stability of the city.
And maybe the building.”
Clark smiled.
“Did he eat the cake?”
"Three mouthfuls.
Slowly.
No spitting.”
“So we have progress.”
Mercy looked at him.
“Did you bring coffee?”
Clark held out the thermos.
"Always without sugar.”
"Great.
Leave it on the table.
E... Mr. Kent?”
"Yes?”
"Tell him the cake wasn't bad.”
Clark laughed.
"On your part or mine?”
Mercy blinked.
They'll never know.”
Back to the lab
Lex typed something on the panel.
Conner looked at him.
He hesitated
"You... were you angry that day?”
Lex didn't even turn.
"Which of " those days"?”
"That of the collective. When I said... what I said.”
Quiet.
Lex then said:
“I stayed... disappointed in my expectation.”
Conner:
“That means...?”
“You mean I expected more from you.
And maybe me.”
Conner was quiet.
"You... you didn't think I'd say that, did you?”
“I thought at the very least you would wait until the interview was over.”
Conner laughed, unfunny.
“I thought you were going to unleash an evil plan.”
Lex stared at him.
"I'm a busy man, Conner.
The only thing I planned in the last few days was how not to punch my own arrogance.”
"And succeeded?”
“I'm here, aren't I?”
Conner smiled.
"Thank you for not blocking me.”
“I still can.”
“But it won't.”
Lex stared at the monitor.
"The curve is unstable. Recalculate with 0.2 above the load index.”
Conner nodded.
But the eyes were still on Lex.
“I'll try.”
Lex didn't look.
But said:
"Good luck.”
And that, coming from him, was almost a hug.

Chapter Text

Lex Luthor didn't order coffee that afternoon.
But at 4: 45 p.m., Mercy walked into lab B with two perfectly balanced cups on the tray.
"One is for Superboy.” she said, as if she were just reporting a weather fact.
Conner took the cup carefully, suspiciously.
“That doesn't taste like cold revenge, does it?”
Mercy raised an eyebrow.
"Not if it was done by me.”
Lex did not comment.
But he drank his in silence.
No sugar.
As always.
"LexCorp Terrace" - 5: 02
Clark arrived with a briefcase.
No uniform.
Only blazer and crumpled dress shirt.
Mercy was at the door.
"League report?"she asked, without irony.
"And maybe... complimentary coffee.”
"Come in. He's in a good mood today. Or something like that.”
Clark came in.

Laboratory B
Lex saw him through the reflection of the screen.
He didn't turn around.
"Clark.”
"Lex.”
Conner looked up from the bench.
“Did you bring coffee?”
“And a report.”
Lex turned slowly in his chair.
“Are you determined to turn my space into a public living room?”
Clark handed over the briefcase.
"Missions involving Kryptonian technology. We think you should have access.”
Lex did not immediately respond.
“Am I a villain or a technical advisor now?”
Clark:
"It depends on the day.”
Conner, half smiling:
"Today is Tuesday. You're in mode... "collaborative Grouch".”
Lex feigned irritation, but opened the briefcase.
Read.
Quiet.
Concentrate.
Conner watched.
Clark too.
And there they were:
the three,
in a quiet room, surrounded by accumulated tension, bottled resentment and... cups of coffee.
Lex looked up.
“You made some incorrect assumptions about emissions.”
“And you will correct? Clark asked, calmly.
Lex replied, dry:
"I have corrected.”
Conner almost laughed.
“You don't know not to get involved, do you?”
Lex snorted.
“I don't know how to deal with stupidity.”
Clark, with a smile that tried not to look affectionate:
“You keep helping.”
Lex:
“I still don't hit my head on the wall. It's different.”
Mouthsong Conner:
“We understand.”

Later-LexCorp elevator
Clark and Conner would go out together.
Clark held the folder with the corrections.
Conner had the second slice of cake (now stored in a jar).
“He's giving in."said Conner.
“He is... being him.”
“Does that mean yes?”
Clark smiled.
“Does that mean you're coming back next Tuesday?"”
Conner:
"Sure.
And I'll Bring brownie.”

In the office-alone
Lex looked at the folder.
Then to the empty cup.
Then to the workbench where Conner had left the calculations.
He leaned against the table, slowly.
And for the first time…
he didn't lock the door.

Chapter Text

Conner arrived early.
So early that the halls of LexCorp were still quiet and smelling of expensive cleaning product.
In the backpack:
Brownies (labeled “Made With Care”)
Notebook with new notes,
And a bundle of emotional courage with expired validity.
Mercy intercepted him in the lobby.
"Superboy.”

"Conner. Today I came in civilian. he said, pointing to his backpack.
Mercy looked at him.
Then to the package.
“He doesn't eat sweet.”
"He eats when he's distracted.”
“Are you cheering again?”
“I'm keeping the building's glucose level stable.”
She cleared the entrance.
"Get up before I regret it.”

Laboratory B
Lex was already there.
Tinkering with a new project.
Screens everywhere, graphics that moved like waves, and equations as complex as his ego.
Conner entered, hesitantly.
"I brought the new calculations. E... brownie.”
Lex didn't even look.
"Do you think sweets will convince me to accept formulas with notation errors?”
Conner put the brownie down on the side of the keyboard.
"I think you need a reason to pretend you don't like it.”
Lex finally looked up.
"Smug.”
"I learned from you.”

A silence.
Lex analyzed the calculations.
Then took a piece of the brownie.
He ate.
Very slowly.
“It's not horrible.”
Conner shrugged.
“I'm used to warmer compliments.”
"Then look for your grandmother.”
Conner snorted, but smiled.
They fell silent.
Working.
Breathing in the same rhythm.
It wasn't reconciliation.
But it was... coexistence.

Waiting room
Mercy looked through the internal camera.
Then he sighed.
Clark was sitting.
Casual.
With a pie in hand.
She left the reception.
"I don't know what's going on with this building, but it's going to end up becoming an emotional bakery.”
Clark smiled.
“Do you think he will accept?”
"No.
But he will eat half.
Complaining.”
Clark handed over the pie.
Mercy took it, as if carrying a secret weapon.
“You are... calmer.”
“He's getting back to being him with our son.
I don't need any more for today.”
Mercy looked away.
“You're almost cute, you know?”
”You too, Mercy."
She pretended not to listen.

Laboratory B-a few hours later
Conner stood up.
"I think that's it for today.”
Lex didn't answer.
But I didn't tell him to leave either.
Conner hesitated.
"Lex... do you like my company?”
Lex typed.
It didn't stop.
"I like the efficiency with which you operate equipment.
And you make better coffee than Mercy.”

Conner blinked.
"That was... a compliment?”
“Don't get used to it.
I'm vulnerable to caffeine.”

Conner was leaving when he heard, very low:
“...and maybe constancy. But just maybe.”
Conner braked.
He's almost back.
But he left it until next Tuesday.

Chapter Text

Lab B had the low light, only the screen illuminating the faces that couldn't hide the tension.
Lex typed fast, eyes fixed on the data.
Conner watched each gesture, searching for the spark that Lex didn't want to admit was there, that spark of care hidden between sarcasm and silence.
Clark walked in unannounced, bringing the usual briefcase and an extra cup of coffee.
"I brought reinforcement. I said, placing the Cup next to Lex's.
Lex didn't even look.
"Thank you for leaving my concentration intact.”
Clark smiled, but his eyes sought something else in Lex's closed expression.
“You know you don't have to pretend so much, right?”
Lex raised an eyebrow, voice cold:
"Pretend? I don't pretend anything. I just don't waste time on sentimentality.”
Conner gave a half smile.
"Yeah, but I bet deep down you wanted us to be closer.”
Lex turned the chair slowly, facing Conner.
"Deep down, maybe I'm more patient than I'd like to admit. But that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for you.”
Clark approached, crossing his arms.
"What if we try to be sincere, instead of playing chess with words?”
Lex looked away, which was almost a mistake for someone so meticulous.
"Maybe one day.”
Conner and Clark exchanged a glance.
Mercy appeared at the door, smiling discreetly.
"If you need extra coffee, you know where to find me.”
Lex responded with a look that, for anyone who wanted to see it, was almost a silent request.
"I think I'll need it.”

Chapter Text

Lex reviewed the league's data with the same dedication he would use to build a killer satellite.
But this time it was all collaboration.
Clark stood near the door.
Conner was analyzing a sequence of charts, jotting something down in a black — covered notebook (probably borrowed from Martha-with glitter disguised in the corner of the sheet).
Silence, until Conner says:
- The structure of the unstable gravitational field can be compensated with micro-adjustments by vibration. I tested this with Victor last week.
Lex looked up.
- Victor Stone?
Conner nodded.
- He's competent. Less impulsive than you.
Clark coughed a laugh.
Lex stared at him.
And less nosy than some reporters.
- I'm just here for public safety.
- And the coffee. - completed Mercy, entering with another cup.
(Clark smiled. Busted.)
Lex turned again to the calculations.
- If the tests go Well, I can allow you another access to the lab... supervised.
Conner raised his head.
- Access for me?
Lex didn't answer.
Mercy:
- He meant yes. It's his way.
Lex (sighing like one who tolerates too much):
- I am trying to maintain a productive environment, not create affective bonds.
Clark smiled.
- Sure. A productive environment... with coffee, brownies and weekly meetings.
Lex didn't answer.
But he drank the coffee.
Everything.

Later-LexCorp Terrace
Clark leaned against the railing, watching Metropolis glow below.
Lex was at his side, arms crossed.
- You know, even when we were... on opposite sides, you never ignored me, Lex.
- And now that I ignore it, you show up with coffee and pie.
- You're missing.
Lex did not immediately respond.
- And you do drama.
Clark laughed, but was serious when he said:
- Just don't rule me out for good. I know you still care.
Lex looked at him.
- I'll call you... for the future of humanity.
- Aham.
Pause.
Lex then muttered:
- And maybe for those who bring real coffee.
Clark smiled.
Triumphant and understated.
- I'll be here Tuesday.
Lex turned on his back.
- Bring croissants.

Chapter Text

The laboratory was silent.
Conner stood there, arms folded, while Lex analyzed the latest data projected on the center-bench display.
Clark wasn't there.
Neither does Mercy.
It was just the two of them.
And the space between them... that was familiar before... now it looked millimetrically professional.
Conner cleared his throat.
- You said... who had no children.
Lex kept working.
- I must correct: I said this to a reporter. During a young scientists event. With cameras. In a formal setting.
- You know what I meant.
Quiet.
Conner approached.
- I know what I said at the press conference. I know that... it hurt. But you erased me, Lex.
Lex finally stopped. He turned.
He looked at Conner with the coldest eyes he had ever seen.
- You denied me first.
Conner swallowed hard.
Lex continued, voice firm, without a trace of trembling:
- You said, before the world, that I was not your father. That I was nothing. And for more than... if it was just a word, just a moment, it had weight. And consequences.
Conner wanted to argue.
But he couldn't.
Lex approached, slowly.
- You want my attention now? Watch Me, poke me, try to rebuild a bridge that you burned yourself?
- I was angry. Conner whispered.
- Me too.
Conner shut up.
Lex then said low but cutting:
- And unlike you, Conner... when I walk away, I don't run back with brownie.
The silence fell again.
Heavy.
Real.
Conner took a deep breath.
- You always come back with some hidden weapon. I only have cake.
Lex almost smiled.
Almost.
And that says a lot.
—-
In the lobby
Mercy delivered a box to Clark.
- Reports? he asked.
- And maybe... too much excitement in the lab. Warn the boy not to provoke him anymore.
Clark nodded, but raised an eyebrow.
- What about Lex?
- Freeze.
- But listening?
- Always.

Chapter Text

Mercy stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the counter of the LexCorp cafeteria.
In front of her, Conner was trying, with all the dignity of a desperate teenager, to find out the exact point between “strong coffee” and “Lex coffee”.
- He likes bitter, but not sour. Strong, but not boiled. Warm, but not desperate. Mercy said, like someone reciting a nuclear code.
Conner snorted.
- Lex is more complicated than quantum physics.
- Quantum physics does not passively ignore you for three weeks. Lex, yeah.
Conner looked down.
- I just want to... back. Even if it's as an unpaid emotional intern.
Mercy raised an eyebrow.
- That sentence was sad. But functional.
She handed him the mug.
- Delivery. And it doesn't shake.
—---
Lex's office
Clark was already there, standing on the balcony, looking at the city.
Lex, as always, pretended to be more interested in international news.
You know Conner's trying, right? Clark said, without turning.
- I know. That's what teenagers do. They try. They're wrong. They mess up.
- And parents... I'm sorry.
Lex sighed.
- I'm not a father.
Clark smiled sadly.
- He thinks you are.
Lex didn't answer.
Only then did he notice the door opening discreetly.
Conner came in. Quiet. Mug in hands.
- I brought coffee. Okay... on point. I think.
Lex stared at him.
The silence between them lasted two seconds longer than comfortable.
- I didn't order coffee.
- I know.
Lex accepted.
He took a sip.
Then another.
- It's better.
Conner shrugged.
Mercy trained.
Lex supported the mug.
He lowered his eyes.
And said, with no apparent emotion:
— You don't have to please me.
Conner hesitated.
- I know.
Just me...
Pause.
— I don't need you to call me son.
But I want you to know that... I'm still yours.
Lex crashed.
The silence became dense.
And then he said, without looking at him:
- That doesn't change anything.
But Conner saw it.
You saw.
Lex flips his photo, which was still stored in the drawer, back up.

Chapter Text

The lab was calm — or, at least, with the artificial calm of a sleeping volcano.
Lex was reviewing the gravity simulation data.
Conner was sitting at the side table, arranging results alphabetically.
Clark, as always, appeared at the exact time when the cafe was cooling down.
Lex said nothing, but pushed one of the glasses to the left side of the table.
He didn't look. He declined to comment.
But he did.
Conner got it. Quiet.
But also... he stayed.
Mercy, on the other side of the glass wall, raised her cell phone discreetly and clicked.
A single photo.
—-------
Private Chat: Luthor Watch
Mercy:
📸
"Cup 2 put in advance. Orange alert: nonverbal emotional rapprochement.”
Lois Lane:
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME, MERCY.”
Mercy:
“He drank the coffee. And he made constructive criticism.”
Lois:
"LEX' CHAOS QUEEN ' LUTHOR ACCEPTING COFFEE WITHOUT CALLING ANYONE INCOMPETENT? MY GOD IS REAL.”
Mercy:
"Thaw confirmed. Bring wine. Bring emotional support. Bring croissant.”
—------
Back to the lab
- You want to see Victor's reports? - Conner asked, trying to look natural.
Lex gave a minimal nod.
- As long as they're complete.
Clark bit a smile and went to the window.
The sun came in lazily. The mood was lighter.
Lex adjusted his glasses.
- And next time... bring decent graphics. Not teenage scribbles.
Conner snorted.
- That's my scientific handwriting.
- So science is in crisis.
Clark laughed.
Lex didn't — but took another sip of Conner's coffee.
And he didn't complain.
—------
Later — by message
Lois:
"If he smiles at someone who is not a contract, let me know. I'll take the bubbly.”
Mercy:
"Next step: casual meeting on the terrace. I want to see if he leaves the door open.”
Lois:
“I want to see him smile and pretend it's not about the clone and the boy scout.”

Chapter Text

The night in Metropolis was clear, starry
those who seemed to ask for restrained confessions and charged silences.
Lex stood on the rooftop of LexCorp, looking at the city as if it were a poorly solved problem.
The chair next to it was empty.
But with a glass.
And an open bottle of wine.
He looked. He sighed.
- Mercy.
Sure.
He took the cup.
- Since you're here...
Clark appeared on the other side of the terrace as if summoned by a script.
Or by some cosmic force called " guilt."
- I don't usually see you with wine.
— I'm not usually left talking to myself at press conferences, but here we are.
Clark approached. He took the other Cup.
- I deserved that one.
- Yeah.
Quiet.
Lex looked at the city.
- He's not a boy anymore.
- No. But it still misses as one. And it feels like one.
Lex took a sip.
- Sounds like someone I met once. An idiot in a cape who thought saving the world was easier than saving people.
Clark smiled sideways.
- He misses you, Lex.
- He said he wasn't my son. You supported.
- And you said You had no children.
- Draw.
Another silence.
But less cold.
Lex stared at Clark.
- Why are you here?
Clark looked at him with a pained lightness.
- Because even when you do everything to keep me away... I know you care.
Lex laughed.
Rough. Low.
- You always thought so, didn't you? Who has this emotional free pass with me.
- It's not a free pass. It's insistence.
More silence.
More wine.
Lex sighed.
- Conner walked into the lab today without knocking anything over.
- A miracle.
- Maybe.
But Lex smiled. Just a little. Just singing.
And Clark saw it.
—----
Later-message in the group
Mercy:
📸
"Two empty glasses. Minimal smile detected. Operation defrost in progress.”
Lois:
"IF YOU DIDN'T RECORD IT, I'LL GO THERE MYSELF.”
Mercy:
“I'm already editing the videos. Suggested musical background?”
Lois:
"The Scientist" by Coldplay. Because everything here is poorly resolved emotional science.”

Chapter Text

Conner entered the laboratory in silence.
More out of habit than out of a real attempt not to be noticed.
And then he saw.
Through the glass wall of the terrace, two men.
Lex and Clark.
Sitting.
I laugh.
I laugh.
Lex tilted his head back slightly. Clark gestured with his hands-that gesture Conner knew from when he was trying to tell a dramatic but entertaining story, probably about Batman.
And Lex... he smiled. With the eyes.
Conner froze.
The coffee cup in his hand shook for a second.
And it was at that moment that Mercy appeared beside him, without making a sound. Like a shadow trained by gossip.
- I didn't know you were coming today.
- Neither do I. - Conner answered, his voice a little lower than usual.
- Are you coming in?
Conner hesitated.
- They do... busy.
- Talking. Like two adults who don't admit to having feelings. It's rare, but it happens.
Conner turned his face away, clearly uncomfortable.
- He never laughed like that with... with me.
Mercy arched an eyebrow.
- That's not true. You just didn't see it.
Pause.
- Lex Luthor has exactly three true smiles in his repertoire.
One for science.
One for victory.
And one... when someone surprises you emotionally.
- And what was that?
- Mix of the three. Congratulations. You are 1/3 responsible for it.
Conner looked again.
He watched Lex get up to collect the cups, lightly tap Clark on the shoulder before leaving.
A small gesture.
Intimate.
Contained.
But Lex never touched anyone like that.
Conner whispered, half lost:
— ...they so... reconciling?
Mercy crossed her arms.
- Let's say that... Luthor is in the testing phase.
With emotional incubation time, resistance to affective stress and selective immunity to guilt.
Conner snorted.
- That was it... painfully specific.
- Welcome to LexCorp, honey. Here even traumas have an organizational chart.

In the message group
Mercy:
📸
"Clone witnessed civilized interaction. He's in shock. Send backup.”
Lois:
"Ask him to take a deep breath and not freak out. I'm in an Uber with pizza and wine.”

Chapter Text

Clark leaned against the lab door, arms folded, watching Conner fiddle with the panels as if he were on a full-fledged league mission.
But he could see the discomfort. The way Conner frowned unfocused. The way he avoided the terrace.
- Conner.
Nothing.
- Conner... you saw it.
The boy snorted, low.
- I saw what?
Clark sighed. Approached, stopping next to him.
- You don't have to pretend.
Quiet.
- We were just talking.
Conner let out a dry laugh.
- With wine glasses?
Clark smiled, guilty.
- It was Mercy's idea.
- Of course it was.
Pause.
- You will... back with him?
Clark was silent. So did Conner.
- Because... he continued, quietly. - him... he looks happy when he's with you. Even when you're being an idiot. A bitter genius. A diva.
Clark turned to him. The look full of tenderness and care.
- And you?
- What?
- You look happy when he answers you. Even when it's with sarcasm. Even when he pretends he can't remember your name.
- Me... Conner braked.
Clark rested a light hand on his shoulder.
- Conner. He heard you. Even when he didn't answer.
And he didn't let you go. Just him... it took him a while to heal in peace.
Quiet.
Do you want us to be a family again?
Conner averted his eyes.
- I want that... stop pretending not to care.
- He's not faking it. He's fighting his pride.
- Is he winning?
Clark laughed.
- No. But... he drank wine. That's a breakthrough.

In Lex's office-minutes later
Lex stood in front of the projection screen.
In the corner, discreetly minimized, was the lab audio.
He had heard everything.
Expressionless, he closed the window.
But not before letting out a long sigh... human.
Then opened a new document:
"Emotional reintegration protocol: Conner, Phase I”
Supervised coffee.

Restricted entry permit.

Sarcastic comment with built-in affection.

At the end of the list, he hesitated.
Then typed:
4. Reconsider term "son". (see: dictionary / legal implications / emotional implications)

In the group
Mercy:
"He opened a DOC. It has topics. Guys, he's coming back.”
Lois:
“I'M AT THE DOOR OF LEXCORP. SOMEBODY'S GONNA OPEN THIS BUILDING FOR ME.”