Work Text:
Most days Lex wouldn’t put more than five minutes into his morning getting ready routine. He showers at night so that’s not something he has to deal with in the AM, so the pattern he’s followed for months goes as follows: wash face, brush teeth, brush hair, deodorant and get dressed. No extra steps necessary for the scientist turned CEO, he prefers practically to performance and presentation after all.
Usually Slade comes out of his room to Lex already sipping on coffee, making sure to land a quip or two about how long Slade takes to get ready in the morning. This whole living together thing hasn’t actually been that bad, a few missteps here and there but nothing to write home about. They’ve been cohabitating for a few months now, Lex practically demanded that Slade be a live-in bodyguard and Slade wasn’t one to argue. Lex pays him well enough but getting to crash in a penthouse and not pay rent for it? Pretty sweet deal, especially since once Lex is in the house for the night, he doesn’t need a baby sitter.
Slade walks out of his room and heads towards the kitchen, he doesn’t notice the lack of the scent of fresh coffee in the air but he does note the absence of his ‘boss’.
“Hmmm…” Slade hums lightly as he walks into the kitchen, he pokes his head in and looks side to side but still doesn’t catch a glimpse of Lex. His boss is usually up by now and is typically already drinking his coffee while getting an early start with his work before the even get to the office but there’s nothing. No sign of Lex anywhere in the apartment this morning.
“Alright, that’s weird…He never sleeps in cause the fucker never sleeps.” Immediately on edge, Slade walks out of the kitchen and scans the living room. He checks for anything that might be out of place or missing but he doesn’t see anything amiss. Slade’s socked feet gently tap against the hard floor as he retreats back towards his room but he walks further down the hall, bypassing his room entirely.
Coming from the foyer, Slade’s room is the first on the righthand side of the hall, opposite his door on the left hand side is Lex’s office. The last door on the left hand side of the hall is Lex’s room and Slade knows damn well that Lex retreated from his office into his room late in the night.
If you’d ask him, Slade would even be able to pinpoint the time since he was wide awake when he heard the familiar sound of Lex’s office door creaking open, a light yawn that he knows could only come from Lex, and shuffling feet along the floor that stops near Lex’s door. This itself had also become a fairly common routine and one that certainly wasn't broken last night, so Slade can only assume Lex is still in his room.
Thinking back, Slade has only been in Lex’s room one time and it was when he first moved in. If Slade was going to be a live-in bodyguard, he wasn’t going to half ass this. He did a proper sweep of the apartment, mentally mapping all exits and entry points that might pose importance later, and even had Lex link up the security system he had installed in the apartment to Slade’s phone so that he could monitor any bullshit that might ensue.
Say what you will about his attitude but Slade could play professional, when he wants to that is.
He doesn’t hesitate to push Lex’s door open and walk in, taking his time to once again scan his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. Lex isn’t in his bed, the backpack he usually takes with him is still on the desk unzipped and the laptop off to the side while his phone’s alarm is still going off quietly.
“Luthor, you in here? You’re the late one this time, fucker.” Slade calls out to Lex, smirking lightly when he realizes Lex probably just overslept and is still fumbling through his morning.
Rolling his head to the side, Slade’s eye lands on the connecting bathroom door that’s cracked open with light spilling out of it, the light whir of the fan adding just a sliver of noise to the otherwise quiet abode. That is until a mild panic stricken gasp and the clattering of objects falling to the ground catches Slade’s guard.
“Lex…That you?” Slade nears the bathroom with his hand outstretched to push the door open more before it’s hastily slammed shut, Slade squaring his shoulders and straightening his back in response before he grabs hold of the knob.
“Luthor, unless you’re shitting open the fucking door.” Something feels wrong in the air. Feels tense and uneasy and Slade isn’t a fan.
“I-I’m fine! Just running late, Slade! Get out of my room!” Lex’s fretful tone and the frantic delivery betraying the words which he speaks.
“Fuck that, Luthor. Open this damn door or I kick it in.”
“Don’t do that! I’m telling you I’m fine, just leave!”
“You’ve got till three.” It’s a threat that Slade fully intends to deliver on if Lex doesn’t cooperate.
“Slade, I’m not-”
“One.”
“Wait, what?” Lex’s voice barely reaches beyond the door, like he’s not quite processed what was just said until after he responded.
“Two.” Slade’s single word intimidation sternly delivered with an unenthused tone.
“Wait wait wait Fine!” From behind the door comes a flurry of small, quick noises. The sounds of stuff being put away, the muffled mutterings that can’t be made out, and the slow metallic click of the bathroom door finally being unlocked, Slade hadn’t even realized Lex had locked it until he heard the unlock.
Slade puts down the leg he had lowered in preparation of the kick as Lex hesitantly opens the door, his head dipped in low with his eyes cast to the floor as he tries to avoid Slade’s eye. The bodyguard can’t see anything wrong but Lex’s body language is screaming otherwise.
“What’s wrong?” Slade puts a hand to his hip as he awaits an answer, eye scanning over Lex’s body trying to pinpoint the issue but he fails to do so.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.” Lex goes to move past Slade while Lex brings his hand up to rub the base of his head, flinching when his fingers find his hair. Lex made the mistake of passing Slade on his left side so Slade got an uninterrupted view of the display.
“Hold it.” Slade’s hand comes up and grabs hold of Lex’s head from the top, his fingers digging in lightly to Lex’s chestnut hair but Slade pulls a face when he feels just how greasy Lex’s locks are.
“HEY!” Lex goes to pull away but Slade’s other hand shoots out to grab hold of his arm and hold Lex in place, the now captive man struggling against Slade’s tight hold. “Slade, let go of me. We need to get to the office. I have work to do.”
“Shut the fuck up, Luthor.” Slade lets go of the top of Lex’s head so he can inspect the rest of Lex’s hair, a nagging worry already starting to eat away at him when he feels Lex tense as fingers drag through Lex’s hair. It’s not long until Slade finds the object of Lex’s discomfort, a badly matted knot that’s close to Lex’s scalp that would make anyone whinge in pain.
Lex’s shoulders pull in closer to his body and he tries to pull away from Slade’s fingers but he’s forced to stop when the knot pulls tightly against his scalp, a quick yelp and groan ripping from him before he stops moving, his eyes clenching shut as he reaches up to try and get Slade’s dingers out of his hair.
“Slade, I’m not in the mood. I’ll deal with it later, let go!” Shame drips from Lex, an otherwise proud man now begging for Slade to forget what he’s seen and to let him go.
“How long has it been like this?” Ignoring Lex’s pleas, Slade moves himself closer as he gently pulls his fingers from Lex’s hair, careful to not tug at the knots more than he needs to free himself.
“I-I don’t know…I didn’t think it got this bad.” Lex admits, his hand replacing Slade’s in location to gently pat the hair back down, trying to make it look as presentable as possible as the knots lay hidden beneath the first layer of his thick hair. His hand is swatted away by Slade who lets go of Lex’s arm to start checking the rest of his hair with both hands now. Lex stays still, his brow and lips reacting in time with the slight tugs and pinches he feels as Slade examines.
“You shower nightly, Lex. How does this happen?” Slade’s words form an odd amalgamation of scold and concern.
“I-I’m-I’m not sure. I just thought if I washed it and brushed it out it’d be fine but I can’t get the knots out…” Lex shuffles his weight, wincing when he moves and the knot catches one of Slade’s fingers roughly.
“Yeah, no shit, dumbass. This is so fucking matted, Lex.” Slade sounds so jaded and done as he speaks. Lex can’t see his face but he can only imagine the look of disgust Slade must have. A shade of red crosses his cheeks in embarrassment that’s laced with shame as he feels Slade continue to work his fingers through the hair.
“I-I’ll go to the barber after work…They can fix it right?” Lex doesn’t know why he’s asking Slade but he needs some type of encouragement given the situation.
Slade however doesn’t have much in the way of soothing sentiments that he can offer.
“If you went to a barber or a hair stylist with this they would just tell you they’re going to shave it.” It’s an honest answer but one Lex desperately didn’t want to hear.
“What?! No! Slade, I’m not letting someone shave my head! That’s not-” Panic laces Lex’s words, stress and humiliation forcing a few tears into his eyes before Slade’s words snap him out of his ever encroaching spiral.
“Sit on the fucking toilet, Luthor.” It’s a sharp demand as Slade ushers Lex back into the bathroom.
“Slade! NO! You’re not shaving my head!” Spreading his arms so that he catches himself the doorframe, Lex holds himself in place as he refuses to entertain the idea he thinks Slade is proposing.
“I’m not gonna fucking shave you! Sit on the damn toilet, Lex! I’m gonna fix it!” Slade shoves Lex roughly into the bathroom as he takes off his suit jacket and hangs it on the door, rolling up his sleeves as he takes a look at the supplies he has to work with.
Off to the side, Lex watches him confused as he slowly lowers himself to sit on the closed toilet, his eyes never once moving off of Slade.
“What do you mean’ fix it’?” Voice low and wavering, Lex brings a hand up to try and work out a knot but he yelps when he tugs too harshly and a sharp snap can be heard from a strand of hair snapping in his hold.
“Knock it off if you don’t wanna have a bald spot.”
“Bald spot?!” Lex pulls his hand out of his hair when he hears that, unsure of what’s worse between a bald spot and going shaved entirely.
Slade ignores him, walking over with a hairbrush in one hand as he points his finger at Lex and does a quick swirl motion at him.
“Turn. Reverse cowgirl the toilet, Luthor. The back has to face me.”
Lex raises an eyebrow and manages to choke out a scoff when he asks Slade to clarify. “What do you mean ‘reverse cowgirl’ the toilet?”
“Like the South Park bit. Turn around and face the tank and use it like a little table. You’ve never seen it, have you?” Slade sounds more disappointed in Lex for him not getting the reference than he was for the hair he was about to fix.
“I didn’t watch much South Park, Wilson…” Lex gently admits as he turns to do what Slade says, struggling lightly to spread his legs and get comfortable with his back now facing the standing man.
“I gotta fix that. It’s a decent show to put on in the background and get drunk to.” Slade reaches over to grab something from Lex’s shower caddy, his hand wrapping around an almost full bottle of conditioner.
“Slade…What, what exactly are you going to do? I-I don’t think washing it is going to help right-ECHK!” Lex jolts forward, his query interrupted as Slade pours a generous amount of conditioner onto the top of Lex’s head, the sudden cold sending a sharp shiver through Lex’s body as he adjusts to it. “WHY?!”
“Conditoner. It helps lubricate the hair to work out the knots. If you do it dry you’ll damage more hair and it’ll hurt like a bitch.” It’s said with such conviction that Lex doesn’t even try to argue though how Slade knows all this is a mystery to him. He can’t imagine Slade with long enough hair for this to be a problem so he’s curious about why Slade knows this.
Keeping his questions to himself for now, Lex sits quietly as Slade starts sectioning the hair into workable parts, carefully working out a few connecting knots to make the work easier down along the line. Lex can feel as Slade gently works the conditioner into his hair before he starts with the section off to the left side first.
“I think the bottom part of my hair is alright…The ends aren’t that bad, right?” Lex asks, moving his head slightly only for Slade to force his head back to looking straight ahead so that he can work easier.
“Doesn’t matter. You start at the bottom and work your way up. You start from the top and go from the scalp you’re gonna fuck yourself up. It just gets all brittle and shit afterwards so it’ll knot again super quick and it’s a pain in the ass to deal with.” Slade has to ignore the small yelps and whines he hears from Lex as he starts, making slow progress as he works his way through the first section of mats.
Lex tries his best to sit still, every once in a while a sharp pain will again rip through him as Slade has to force extra attention into a particularly dense patch. When he does encounter a bad knot, Slade will offer a small apology before he moves on. Slade’s voice is softer than Lex has ever heard it before, the almost tender way Slade is handling him is so new to Lex that he isn’t quite sure how to react to it.
“Sorry, that was a bad one.” It’s a soft admission that is quickly moved away from, like Slade is a bit timid to let the words linger in the air too long. “You know we’re gonna be late, right Luthor?”
Lex sighs, his shoulders dropping slightly when he realizes that Slade is very right. “I know…But it’ll be fine…It’s not like someone is going to be mad at me. And you basically get a free pass anyway.” Lex offers a small shrug and a weak smile, trying to keep the mood a little lighter as Slade continues his work, though the latter can still sense just how tense Lex is.
“I’m almost done with this section. After that we take a break.” Slade isn’t asking and Lex isn’t arguing. His scalp tender and angry, a headache already well on its way to putting Lex through the ringer.
“Alright…Can I stand up or?” The way Lex asks drips with innocence and mild naivety, like he’s fully leaning on Slade for permission and guidance through this.
“Yeah, you can get up. Stretch your back and get a drink after we finish this section. You still got two others I gotta get through.”
“Two more?!” Lex cries out, his eyes wide when he realizes that he’s in for this far longer than he would’ve liked.
“Quit your bitching, you just gotta sit there. I gotta do all the damn work.” Slade runs his fingers through the worked over section, any time his finger catches a stray lingering small snag he gingerly coaxes it out.
Another wave of shame runs through Lex. He’s a grown man but here he is with hair knotted so badly that he has to have his bodyguard baby him while he detangles his hair. The sheer self loathing that starts to swirl around him quickly shut down when he feels a hard pat on his back before Slade speaks.
“There. Stand up and stretch. I’m gonna get a fucking drink and a poptart.” Slade reaches over and wipes his hands on one of Lex’s clean towels, his hands slick with the excess conditioner before he cleans them off.
Lex watches Slade leave the bathroom from the corner of his eye before he turns around, hesitantly reaching up to test the patch of hair Slade worked through. His fingers easily gliding through the now untangled locks over and over, Lex’s eyes wide in shock as a small ripple of relief rises through him. That side of his scalp is already feeling better, the once heavy pressure now light and airy. Lex switches hands and tests the untouched parts, the knots still deep and tight, though the hair he touches does feel less brittle than before—certainly thanks to the conditioner Slade used.
It is working.
Whatever Slade is doing is absolutely having an effect.
Lex slowly stands, rubbing the top of his leg to encourage better circulation as he walks out of the bathroom and picks up his phone, grimacing when he realizes a bit of conditioner was still on his fingers. He lazily wipes his hand against his shirt before he taps away at his phone as he walks out of the room. He plans to take Slade’s advice and get himself a drink before they get back to it.
He quickly types out a message to his secretary to tell her that he’s going to be late and that he very well just might not be coming in today. Lex can hear Slade in the kitchen as he walks, his eyes trailing up from his phone when he gets the faintest whiff of coffee wafting through the air.
Once Lex gets into the kitchen, he sees Slade leaning up against the counter while he’s eating a poptart and looking down at his phone. Coffee is already brewing in the pot while the coffee cup Lex usually uses already sitting right beside it. Lex tilts his head to the side as Slade takes another quick bite of his poptart before he realizes Lex is now in the same room with him.
“You good?” Slade gets a quick head nod towards Lex as he asks, his question lightly grumbled from the breakfast pastry in his mouth.
“It’s better…Thanks…” Lex quietly admits as he nears the coffee maker, his hand wrapping around the handle of the pot to pour himself a cup.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” It’s a quick acknowledgement but right now that isn’t good enough for Lex. Slade has been too nice. Too gentle. Too caring towards him for Lex to just accept that ‘It’s fine’ at face value.
“Wilson, can…can I ask you something?” Lex stares down at the dark coffee in his cup, looking at his unsteady reflection in the liquid as he asks, afraid to make eye contact with Slade when he asks the question he really wants to.
“Sure, man. What’s up?” Slade is already preparing himself for the question, he knows damn well what Lex is about to ask him. It’s not hard to guess and while the answer isn’t something Slade is exactly itching to share, it’s not like he’s ashamed to let Lex in on the truth.
“How exactly do you know all of this?” Lex points at his hair as he asks, his eyes finally shifting upwards to look at Slade’s leaning frame. “I mean, you don’t seem like the type to take a cosmetology course…” Lex tries to pepper in some humor, it’s not acknowledged by Slade but it is mildly appreciated.
“I…I had an ex that had this kind of shit happen. She’d get super closed off sometimes and she wouldn’t work out the knots in her hair. It would get real bad but she didn’t wanna go to a salon to get it fixed cause she was embarrassed about it. I…I kinda learned to deal with it for her.” Slade’s head is dipped lightly, his shoulders shrug as he admits that final detail before he takes another bite of his second poptart. Hoping that quick little anecdote is enough to satisfy Lex’s curiosity.
“Oh…” trailing off, Lex takes a moment to mull over what Slade said. That was a slightly different answer than he was expecting, though he’s happier than if it was Slade’s own hair he’d had to learn this knowledge for. “Well…Thanks, Slade…I-I don’t really know what I would’ve done without you for this…”
A quick perk of pride waves through Slade but he quickly buries it, shaking away the little bit of excitement from the praise before he stands up straighter and looks at Lex.
“Well get your coffee and some food if you’re gonna eat it. The quicker we get the rest of that shit dealt with, the quicker I can get back to not having to give a fuck about you more than normal.”
Lex lets out a small chuckle, taking a sip of his coffee before he reaches into the cupboard to get out a little granola bar. It’s not every morning Lex decides to forgo his normal coffee only breakfast but getting a little food in his system doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.
After about ten minutes the pair returns to the bathroom, Lex taking his seat back on the toilet ‘reverse cowgirl’ so that Slade once again has an unobstructed view of his project. This time a bit more conversation is had between the two men. Mostly just menial small talk that only serves to distract Lex from the pain Slade is having to give him and helps Slade’s light hints of deja-vu that he’s having a hard time escaping.
“Ahh…nhgh…” The lightest whines from Lex Slade hears only force more memories of his past closer to the forefront of his mind as he works. Slade inadvertently slips further into the headspace he was in when he was dealing with this prior.
“I know, I know…But I’m throu-” Half way into his soothing words, Slade realized just how gently he was speaking to Lex, but he can’t really force the honey in his voice away. “We’re through the worst of it…The last section is smaller than the other two.”
The sweetness in Slade’s voice puts Lex at ease, the lightness in the air and the tenderness of his touch lull Lex further into Slade’s company. Lex closes his eyes and lets himself be worked over by Slade, an immeasurable amount of trust having been quickly established between the two during this private moment.
“Are we really almost done?”
A soft hum of confirmation purrs in Slade’s throat as he runs his fingers gently in Lex’s now mostly unknotted hair, just a few little snags here and there all that remain of the once deeply matted bed of hair. Lex’s hair is still slick with conditioner as Slade pulls his hands away to properly brush through the thick auburn locks that have now been freed. Gliding seamlessly through the hair, Lex lets out a few soft moans in relief as his hair is combed. His neck already feeling less tense and his scalp no longer being pulled or tugged brutally as the brush runs through his hair.
“That feels so much better, Slade…Thank you…” Lex leans gently into Slade’s touch, almost like he’s afraid the new reassuring touch will soon be gone.
Lex didn’t mean to do it. He didn’t even realize he had done it until Slade pulled away from him.
“Yeah…N-Not an issue…” Slade let his hands linger, let himself hold Lex for just a second before he recoiled his touch. He regains his senses and comes back to himself before he tries to muster up his usual attitude. “But don’t you let it happen again! I swear if I have to spend another 3 hours detangling your hair, I’m gonna make you pay me fucking double overtime!”
Lex turns back around and stands up when he notices Slade is already at the sink, turning on the water to rinse the conditioner from his hands before he looks back over at Lex.
“Get in the shower. You gotta rinse that conditioner out of your hair or it’ll be greasy and nasty all fucking day.”
Lex reaches up to touch his hair again, his fingers finally able to run through his hair with ease for the first time in weeks. He hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten and only now does he realize just how tense those knots were making his head. Another relieved sigh leaves him as he nods, his eyes closed as he runs both his hands through his hair a few times before he looks back up at Slade.
“I will…Thanks, Slade.” Lex gives a genuine smile, his tired eyes a little brighter than Slade’s ever seen.
Slade throws his head to the side to break eye contact as he waves his hand at Lex, trying to hide the growing blush that’s spreading across his face while he makes his hasty exit from the bathroom.
“I’m taking the day off, Luthor! I put in my fucking hours with your ass enough for today, so don’t expect anything else from me!” Slade does his best to throw his voice with some implied aggression but it fails to carry the weight he wants it to.
Slade leaves Lex’s room, stopping just beyond the threshold to make sure he hears the shower turn on before he heads back into his room to change out of his work clothes. The jacket he started that whole interaction with still draped on Lex’s bathroom door and it’ll stay there, he’s got no intention of going back in Lex’s bathroom when the guy just jumped in the shower.
Changing from his suit into a pair of sweat pants and a plain dark shirt, Slade walks out of his room and decides to claim the tv in the living room for the day. It isn’t long until Lex emerges in something similar, a pair of orange and grey plaid lounge pants with a light lavender shirt. The best accessory Slade sees on him is a small towel draped across his shoulders to catch any excess water that drips from the edges of his hair as it dries.
The hair already looks healthier than before and Lex does look more refreshed.
“Feel better?” Slade looks at the shorter male, watching curiously as Lex crosses the living room and gets closer to him.
“Much…” Lex plops down on the other side of the couch, seemingly agreeing with the notion of just taking the day off.
“We taking a lazy day?”
“I don’t really think you’re allowed to claim this is a lazy day…You spent like 3 hours on my hair.”
“Fine. It’s a we’re not leaving the house sort of day?” Slade tilts his head to the side, stealing a quick glance at Lex’s less than professional attire for the day. Lounge pants and a slightly overside teeshirt look good on the twink, Slade wasn’t going to deny that.
Lex brings his legs up onto the furniture, his knees bent as he leans against the arm on his side of the couch and cuddles lightly into the throw blanket that’s near him. His wet hair clinging to his face and neck as he adjusts the glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose, his eyes looking down at his phone as he scrolls.
“That sounds nice actually…I don’t want to leave the apartment if I can avoid it today.” Lex starts before he looks over at Slade, the aforementioned man jumps a little since he was caught staring but he’s soon caught off guard when Lex tosses his phone over to him.
“The fuck is this for?” Slade asks as he looks down at Lex’s phone, shocked that Lex willingly gave up his phone to him.
“Pick lunch for us. I don’t feel like going out or cooking. You pick what lunch is gonna be and just order it on DoorDash…Give a nice tip so they get here sooner, please.”
Slade snickers at his boss, shocked that Lex is leaning into the ‘Lazy Day’ this hard this quickly.
“Hey, I’m not turning down free food and not having to go out and get it.” Slade takes a second before he lands on a place that looks good, adding his order before he leans over to hand Lex the phone so he can put in whatever he wants next.
This is the most casual the two had ever interacted with one another. The most docile Slade has ever been. And this is assuredly the most relaxed Lex has ever been in the presence of another person.
Once Lex orders, he puts his phone off to the side and settles into the couch more, seemingly waiting for Slade to throw something on the tv for their entertainment. Lex doesn’t complain when Slade puts on a stupid movie, actually looking like he’s not having a terrible time when a few of the jokes surprisingly land with the usually uptight CEO.
The day goes on with little more to note.
Though every once in a while a slight shift in the air changes the train of thought of both men.
Slade finds himself stealing a glance in Lex’s direction.
And Lex finds himself more at ease than he’s felt in a long, long time.