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As far as Superman was concerned, the relationship he held with the notorious supervillain known as Lex Luthor had always been rather black and white, or at least from his perspective. It had always been a rather simple dynamic, and though things had never been exactly good between them, he never expected the man to stoop as low as he did by crossing that line and creating a clone of him. It was a situation that no one was ready for, especially not the man of steel himself. The complexity of the issue that was Conner, was a lot more sensitive than most people realized, or at least that's what Superman hoped as everyone tried to force this unwanted child onto him. They acted as though he had a sort of responsibility for this thing, as though it were his actual son.
Superman knew he should've seen it coming, but he was still surprised when he received an invitation to Lexcorp for a private meeting in regards to the project. But what was even more surprising was the fact he was invited there as Clark rather than as Superman. This gave the indication that there was no malice within the invitation, but regardless, he remained on guard. It wasn't that he really wanted to go, but he knew he needed to make it clear that he wanted to separate himself from that thing that Luthor had created in his image. It seemed like a simple enough task, but the face he was met with as he made his way in was still rather unsettling nonetheless.
“We need to talk about our son, Clark.” Lex stated this the moment he made his way through the door, not even giving the kryptonian the chance to say anything. “I don't really appreciate the way Conner has been treated by you, or should I say mistreated? I thought him being in your presence would be a good influence, but you continuously neglect and belittle every effort he makes to become a true hero.”
“That thing is not my son.” Clark responded coldly, clenching his fists together at the usage of the word. “That thing is a clone you made of me. It's nothing more than a man-made weapon, and we both know anything made by you could never be a hero. You're incapable of caring for anything outside yourself, and by extension, so is he.”
“By definition, a clone is a copy of something, and Connor is far from a copy containing both our DNA, making him no different than any other child conceived through non-traditional methods.” Lex explained, seeming downright bored with the excuse he was being given. “I was under the impression that a hero would never turn away from someone in need, let alone their own son.”
“That thing is not and will never be my son!” Clark snapped, his aggression causing the other man to fall. “That thing is an abomination that should have never been created.”
Seeing Lex fall, Clark was quick to take a step back. He didn't mean to lose his temper like that, but this whole situation was an absolute mess, and he just kept using that word. That thing wasn't his son.
"Funny, the same thing could be said about you.” Lex mused as he got up off the floor, dusting himself off. “I can see trying to reason with you was simply a waste of my time. You can go.”
“I never thought I'd see the day I'd be agreeing with you.” Clark noted as he made his way towards the exit, his footsteps heavy with irritation and anger. “I don't want to hear another thing about this project.”
“That's perfectly fine with me, but if you think I'm just going to sit back and watch my son be treated in such a manner, you're wrong.” Lex acknowledged, his tune changing almost instantly. “You should be grateful I gave this little civil peace talk a chance at all, but I guess that's just the type of father I am. I'm a good one, unlike yourself.”
With that simple statement, Superman was gone, and Lex headed back downstairs, where Connor had fallen asleep waiting for him. It wasn't all too surprising, especially since the kid hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, but something about it felt oddly domestic, no less.
“You truly are my greatest creation.” Lex sighed as he tucked his son in, unable to hide his smile. “Sleep well, my son.”